This post is dedicated to Matt. Thanks for reminding me that I even had a blog.
Today, I'd like to focus on the work of Tom Petty. For me it's astonishing how I can hear a Petty song on the radio or television, and just within hearing a few notes of the song, my entire mental state is changed for the better. A couple of years ago, I listened through every Tom Petty album in chronological order. I was going through a rough time, but Tom's lyrics gave me the fight I needed to make it through.
Recently, I mentioned my admiration for Tom Petty to a friend of mine, and she asked me to elaborate upon it. So in the vein of High Fidelity, I've made a Top Five list for Tom Petty. Now, this list is based upon what I am feeling right now. This is in no way the list of top five greatest Tom Petty songs. That would take months for me to figure out. Not that I couldn't do it...
So here it goes. Top 5 Tom Petty songs, in no particular order:
Number 1. "American Girl"
This is the first Tom Petty song that I fell in love with. I can remember it clearly. It was right before I was about to graduate high school, and I was in my car on County Road 200 W. None of my preset radio stations were playing anything good so I was flipping through to find something. I stopped flipping stations when I heard this song, because I thought it sounded like The Strokes. I really liked how it was so straight forward rockin'. "She was an American Girl". Man, I knew an American Girl. Heck, I knew several. It was an immediate connection. Then when the song was over, the DJ said that it was Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. I thought to myself, "Okay, so that's what Tom Petty sounds like." Ever since then, I've been cool with Tom.
Number 2. "I Won't Back Down"
One of my friends that's a Petty fan hates this song. He says it's way too cheesy and lame, but I vehemently disagree. I think it's a great melody, meaningful lyrics, and catchy to boot. This song usually finds it way to me when life seems to be overwhelming. When life gets tough, don't back down. Stand your ground. Tom's been there, done that, and wrote a song about it. It won't be easy, but you'll make it through.
Number 3. "Free Girl Now"
First off, it start with a lyrical reference to The Stooges and The Rolling Stones. It's an upbeat track off the album Echoes, which is pretty depressing for the most part since he wrote it after his divorce [maybe I should give it a re-listen - haha]. I got the album from the library in the spring of 2008, during a couple of super rainy weeks. So the somber tracks were too much for me to take in, but "Free Girl Now" really stood out to me. In this video, Tom screws up the lyrics to the second verse, but still pulls it off with another good rhyme. What a stud!
Number 4. "Woman in Love (It's Not Me)"
It's the gut-wrenching feeling every guy feels at some point. The girl you love is in love with someone else. The way Tom puts these feelings into lyrics is spot on. I don't think anyone could articulate it quite like he does. I also love how Mike Campbell's screaming guitar part on the chorus accents all that pain and hurt :) Hooray for pain and hurt!
Number 5. "You Don't Know How It Feels"
Official video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TlBTPITo1I
This is the absolute best song to drive around to in the summer. It feels so great putting imagery into action. It doesn't matter what's getting you down: work, school, girls, "The Man", etc... This song will make it all better. Nothing beats a good harmonica. I had to put up two videos for this song. The official is a great one take video, with all the crazy stuff going on in the back. The live one from The Filmore has a bit more punch to it than the studio recording, and the ending is fun too!
So there you go. Bad Thadd's Top 5 Tom Petty songs. Stay tuned for more Top 5's.
