Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. A great rock legend, Tom Petty will be remembered for his music as well as his perspective on life, which we perceive through the lyrics of his song-writing throughout the years.
Tom Petty had a special connection with his fans. “There were times when I really had to work and hustle. I never felt like I had gotten a huge promo from the music business. I don't think they ever held me up and made things easy for me. My audience is what's made me survive, actually. It's actually the people we play to and that buy the records that have made us a sort of, contradiction.”
Rolling Stone caught up with Petty after the 40th anniversary tour with the Heartbreakers at the L.A.’s Hollywood Bowl in 2017. He believed he was keeping up his end of the bargain to his fans each and every time he stepped on stage with the Heartbreakers: “I think there are a few that they expect to see — 'Free Fallin',' and 'Refugee,' and 'Mary Jane's Last Dance.' I think this music was meant to be accessible to people. I'd like to play to everyone.”
Petty's songs, often written with guitarist collaborator, and co-producer Mike Campbell, have been a part of the American landscape upon release — including such instant classics as “The Waiting,” “American Girl,” “Don't Do Me Like That,” “Breakdown,” “Listen To Her Heart,” “Here Comes My Girl,” “You Got Lucky,” “A Woman In Love,” “Stop Draggin' My Heart Around,” “Don't Come Around Here No More,” “I Won't Back Down,” “You Don't Know How It Feels,” “Runnin' Down A Dream,” “Learning To Fly,” “Wildflowers,” and so many more.
In 1988 he teamed up with ELO's Jeff Lynne along with idols George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Roy Orbison to form the Traveling Wilburys, releasing two albums in 1988 and 1990.
However, Tom Petty's greatest commercial success came with his 1989 debut album, Full Moon Fever, featuring Jeff Lynne’s song writing and production, selling over five million copies in the U.S. alone.
Petty recalled to Rolling Stone how the album's signature track, “Free Fallin'” came to be: “Jeff Lynne and I were sitting around with the idea of writing a song and I was playing the keyboard and I just happened to hit on that main riff, the intro of the song, and I think Jeff said something like, 'That's a really good riff but there's one chord too many,' so I think I cut it back a chord and then, really just to amuse Jeff, honestly, I just sang that first verse. Then he starts laughing.
Honestly, I thought I was just amusing Jeff but then I got to the chorus of the song and he leaned over to me and said the word, ‘freefalling.’ And I went to sing that and he said, 'No, take your voice up and see how that feels.' So I took my voice up an octave or two, but I couldn’t get the whole word in. So I sang 'freeee,' then 'free falling.' And we both knew at that moment that I’d hit on something pretty good.”
Over 40 years after releasing his first album, Tom Petty tells Rolling Stone the songs he writes and records still need to ring true to his life: “With me, I just have to go with what I feel passionate about or it won't sound truthful, y'know, so I kinda just, as a songwriter, go where the wind blows me, y'know?”
Petty also talked about what he believes sets the Heartbreakers' brand of rock apart from many other bands: “So much about this music is about feel as opposed to, say, technique. Technique is great, but it will never substitute for feel. And that's what the Heartbreakers and I are striving for. So that you feel it and you believe it.”
Petty admitted that what he lacks in vocal chops, he made up for by being an honest singer: “My singing voice compared to Pavarotti wouldn't stand up, y'know? But I think I'm good at getting over a 'believably.' If I'm going to play the narrator, I want people to believe me, y'know? And I think those are the best singers, the ones that you tend to believe.”
As for his love of music, Petty finished up with these words, "Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There's not some trick involved with it. It's pure and it's real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things..."
And we believe him.
