The 12 Most Memorable Tom Petty Songs

Tom Petty was a rock legend. Throughout his musical career, he made an astonishing 13 albums. Here my personal selection of Tom Petty's best songs.

October 3, 2017 by Joe Michaels

Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around

Stevie Nicks: Bella Donna, 1981

After Stevie Nicks finished recording her first solo album without Fleetwood Mac, she realized that she had a problem: The album didn’t have a hit single. Without a hit, her new solo career would be doomed. But luckily for her, Tom Petty and Nicks were on the same record label. Petty and Mike Campbell wrote Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around as a last-minute addition to Bella Donna. The song was a huge hit for both Nicks and Petty.

American Girl

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1976

American Girl was Petty’s first rock anthem. It has a brilliant chorus that you can’t help but singalong to “Oh yeah, all right, take it, easy baby, make it last all night. She was an American Girl!”

Free Fallin’

Full Moon Fever, 1989

Don’t Come Around Here No More

Southern Accents, 1985

Breakdown

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1976

Breakdown was Tom Petty’s debut single with The Heartbreakers in 1976. With a smooth and soulful groove, it was very radio-friendly. As a result, the song has been in permanent rotation on rock stations around the world like Utah’s 103.5 The Arrow or Chicago’s 97.1 The Drive.

Into The Great Wide Open

Into the Great Wide Open, 1991

The music video for Into the Great Wide Open features a collection of 1990s celebrities including Johnny Depp, Gabrielle Anwar, Faye Dunaway, Matt LeBlanc, Terence Trent D’Arby, and Chynna Phillips.

Refugee

Damn The Torpedoes, 1979

Just 3 years later after Tom Petty’s debut album, he had perfected his staple rock anthem style with Refugee. From verse to verse, the song builds to a powerful climax.

I Need To Know

You’re Gonna Get It, 1978

This punchy rock song almost has a watered-down punk twist. Listen for influences from The Clash especially in the guitar parts. The tortured lyrics for I Need To Know tell the story about someone needing to know if a girl is single. “Well, the talk on the streets says you might go solo…”. And the chorus “I need to know (I need to know) / If you think you’re gonna leave then you better say so.”

Mary Jane’s Last Dance

Greatest Hits, 1993

A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me)

Hard Promises, 1981

A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me) bounces between an intense rock song and a tender ballad. It might remind you of a campfire story with its slow and quiet and bigger parts.

You Got Lucky

Long After Dark, 1982

Southern Accents