The song is also symbolic of the unusual place Petty would occupy in rock music during the early years of his career.

“She was an American girl / Raised on promises” is a fantastic opening line in a catalog that would eventually bulge with great opening lines. “American Girl” immediately recalls and updates the folk-rock of the Byrds, with Petty’s Rickenbacker and vocals both recalling Roger McGuinn (Ron Blair’s melodic bass is also key here). Nevertheless, it became one of his signature songs and recognized as a slice of pop genius. “ American Girl,” from the debut album Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, did not chart in its initial release as a single.

Accordingly, let us reconsider a dozen of his greatest songs, most of which are old friends.

The ubiquity of Petty’s music, however, may tend to lessen our appreciation of his gifts. But it’s never going missing, because Tom Petty has existed since the beginning of time, and will continue to exist until time is extinguished.”Īt that time, Petty was responsible for one out of every 40 rock songs heard on the radio. Why bother? It’s just there, reliable to the point of invisibility. It’s like having an opinion on tap water or concrete. Tom Petty’s music doesn’t necessarily demand a value judgment. Even now, Petty is still a guy that most people know, even if you don’t actively care about him one way or the other. If you’re a music fan of a certain age, there was a time in your life when he seemed inescapable. He has a dozen or so songs that will be played on classic rock radio for as long as there is classic rock radio. “Tom Petty has been a rock star for almost 40 years. Tom Petty-singer, songwriter, and leader of the Heartbreakers-has passed away after suffering a full cardiac arrest in his Malibu home Sunday night. Few will capture Petty’s artistic legacy better than Steven Hyden did in 2014:

Tom petty shadow of a doubt lyrics