But when was the last time you really listened to The Waiting? The song, a Byrds homage from Petty’s 1981’s album Hard Promises, doesn’t have an ounce of fat on the whole production, between its lean guitar riffs, its “yeah-yeah” pre-chorus and, yes, even its consummately cheesy chorus.Īnd considering how many words rock stars have spilled complaining about their jobs, you have to appreciate the phrase as perfectly concise as “the waiting is the hardest part.”
There are the Tom Petty hits that punch you in the stomach, and then there are tracks like The Waiting, with instantly-recognizable choruses built for mindless radio singalongs.
"But it was really only 30 minutes of my life." Let it be a testament to Petty’s rock ‘n’ roll genius, then, that he could record a song that dwarfs entire bands’ careers faster than it took to write this story. “There's not a day that goes by that someone doesn't hum Free Fallin' to me, or I don't hear it somewhere," he once said, describing how he wrote the song in a half-hour window. Tom Petty likely isn’t thrilled that Free Fallin’ is the defining song of his career. It’s probably best for rock 'n' he didn’t go down this path, but at least listeners have this gem from his synth-pop phase. Petty could’ve been a titan of ‘80s schmaltz if he wanted to, if the drum machines and soft-focus keyboards of 1985's Don't Come Around Here No More are any indication. It’s not surprising that fans are drawing on this song’s lyrics in the wake of Petty’s death, bidding him farewell in his own words: “You belong among the wildflowers / You belong in a boat out at sea / Sail away, kill off the hours / You belong somewhere you feel free.” One of Petty’s most heartbreaking classics, for its simplicity and its clear-eyed perspective on loss. For a fightin’ anthem, I Won’t Back Down is a remarkably humble-sounding song, with Petty sounding almost sheepish as he declares he’s not giving up. The lyric “You can stand me up at the gates of hell/ But I won't back down” took on a new meaning Monday, as the media prematurely reported Tom Petty’s death, then retracted their statements as the rocker hung on for a day longer. A concise runtime would become a staple of Petty's hits, as would his play-it-cool vocals that kick down the door once they reach the chorus.Īnother underdog anthem, Don't Do Me Like That is Petty at his punchy '70s best, before he evolved into a titan of Americana, when he was still a punk puffing out his chest and sneering at the perils of fame. Refugee, from his 1979 classic Damn the Torpedoes, was originally written as a missive against the music industry, but its fist-shaking anthemics far transcend whatever label squabbles Petty was involved in at the time.īreakdown is shockingly fully-realized for a debut single, a Steely Dan soundalike that was wisely slashed in half before its release on the Heartbreakers' first album in 1976.
Below, revisit some of our favorites from one of rock's most accomplished icons.įrom his earliest hits, Tom Petty had a cause to rail against.
It's a testament to Petty's enduring catalog of hits that many of his most beloved tracks aren't on this list - apologies, Mary Jane's Last Dance and Runnin' Down A Dream -let alone his forgotten classics or his work with the Traveling Wilburys, both of which deserve their own countdowns. And, at his best, Petty could pack an emotional punch using fewer words and simpler riffs than nearly all of his rock peers. The 66-year-old singer, who passed away Monday, leaves a rock 'n' roll songbook that stayed dependably strong over decades of music-making. Choosing 10 tracks to define Tom Petty's legacy is, admittedly, a fool's errand.
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