Tom Petty's tunes stand the test of time

By Larry Rodgers Gannett News Service

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers have recorded a string of timeless hits rivaled by only a few other elite acts. Petty’s infectious, jangly rock draws fans from their teens to 60s to concerts, and it has landed him in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and brought respect among peers.

“Free Fallin’,” “American Girl,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Breakdown,” “Learning to Fly,” “Refugee” — that quiver full of classics that incite mass sing-alongs in concert made the Grammy-winning singer-guitarist a solid choice to play at Super Bowl XLII on Sunday.

“Tom Petty writes quintessential American rock and roll,” says Howard Kramer, curatorial director for the rock hall of fame in Cleveland.

“His body of work completely stands the test of time.” Making memorable songs that defy musical trends has always been the Florida-spawned group’s priority, says the 57-year-old Petty. “We’ve never sought to be famous personalities or anything like that. We try to make the best songs and best records and do the best shows we can, and we keep it that simple.”

Populist poetry

Petty’s songwriting will never be confused with the weighty observations of Dylan or the clever commentary of Elvis Costello. But it’s some of the most accessible and hummable music of the past three decades.

A mix of populist poetry and catchy tunes emerges in such Petty hits as 1976’s “American Girl.” Amid ringing guitar and shuffling drums, Petty sings: “Well, she was an American girl, raised on promises / She couldn’t help thinking that there was a little more to life somewhere else.”

He’s also got a knack for turning everyday phrases into wide-ranging imagery: “Learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings / Coming down is the hardest thing,” he sings in “Learning to Fly,” used in the movie “Elizabethtown.”

“I’m always on the lookout for a good line,” says Petty, who keeps a notebook within reach at all times. “If you make it your business to do that, you’ll hear really nice bits of conversation or a line will come off the television or radio.”

A number of Petty songs have become anthems, including the defiant “I Won’t Back Down,” which generated mail and comments from fans who say the song gave them strength in tough times.
“When (a song) really mattered and really made a difference in people’s lives, that’s more than you could ever hope for as repayment,” say Petty, who lives in Malibu, Calif.

Longtime fans have watched the Heartbreakers’ style season as they’ve moved into middle age.
“He and that band have such a history of songs that lock people into certain periods in their lives, and they’ve been doing this for 30 years now,” says George Taylor Morris, a programming executive for XM Radio, which includes Petty’s “Buried Treasure” show in its lineup.

Petty, who plans a 37-date Heartbreakers tour in the summer, thinks the key to appealing to both longtime and younger fans is good songs, rather than laser shows and pyrotechnics.

“We never went in for gimmicks or making a record that sounded like the ’80s or anything,” he says. “We’re just a basic group of guitars, drums, piano and organ, and I think the truth is with the songs. We’ve always put a lot of stock in songs, so if you’ve got good songs, they tend to stick around.”

And what a bunch of songs this group has churned out since its self-titled debut. Add “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” “The Waiting,” “Don’t Do Me Like That” and “You Wreck Me” to the list of Petty classics that have fueled 50 million album sales.

Tales to tell

Petty also has written some of rock’s great storytelling songs.

Tales of tattooed lovers trying to make it in Hollywood (“Into the Great Wide Open”), a woman’s ill-fated move west from Indiana (“Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” with its haunting video starring a “dead” Kim Basinger) and a rebellious hitchhiker (“Swingin’”) dot Petty’s catalog.

“I always try to ... become that character and think the way that character would talk and how they would react and what they would be looking for; what makes them who they are,” Petty says.

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