![]() Which is ironic, considering the fact that it’s often mistaken for a Bob Dylan song. “Refugee” may well be Petty’s most popular song outside the trio of hit singles on Full Moon Fever, or at least the one that gets the most radio play. It’s an excellent example of a songwriter using ambiguity to create something universally relatable. Is this a reference to a fed-up lover looking to break away from the relationship or is it a more pointed, almost accusatory statement directed at a disgruntled bandmate? Either would work in this instance, yet the follow up plea of needing to know the answer as to whether or not they plan to stick around could just as easily be rooted in a failed romance as the dissolution of a musical partnership. With the opening lyric “ Well the talk on the street/ Says you might go solo,” the ambiguity sets in straight away. Here again Petty manages to distill a universal sentiment into a 2:22 pop/rock song that could well have a very specific target in mind. Sounding for all its worth like a Bob Seger song during the introductory statement, by the time Petty’s vocals kick in “I Need To Know” becomes something of a new wave Dylan, all nasal whine and crisp guitars. That’s understandable legend has it that Petty wrote the song after Ike Turner made an insistent pass at his then-wife, a circumstance that would surely piss off any man enough to sneer, “ She might need a lot of loving/ But she don’t need you.” The playing is aggressive, almost sloppy in the best possible way, while Petty himself sounds atypically restless and animated. ![]() The blazoning opening riff and jangly guitars epitomize the neo-Byrdsian style the band’s early work quickly became known for, but they’re less measured than usual. “Listen To Her Heart” is indeed Petty & the Heartbreakers at their most rambunctious. But here, it perks the ears and indicates that Petty means business. Coming out of the mouth of virtually any other rock star of Petty’s generation, it wouldn’t register as remotely notable – this was the ‘70s, after all. Like on “Listen To Her Heart,” wherein Petty pronouncing the word “cocaine,” just because of the intonation of his voice, makes it sound like an expletive. Tom Petty has one of the most laid back, laconic voices in rock, so no matter how often he can and does get bitter and angry lyrically, the effect is still almost always disarming. So simple-sounding is this and many other Petty songs that the actual level of difficulty in crafting such pure pop/rock is known only to those who have tried and failed. You have your introductory remarks, casual dialogue, establishment of motifs, an increase in tension, a satisfying release and a dénouement that serves as a bookend to the whole of the proceedings. Not a second of the compactly structured song is wasted, each moment of the utmost importance, building as though a tightly scripted play. From the emotionally masochistic lyrics to the layered, angelic harmonies, “Breakdown” manages to distill the essence of Petty’s appeal in under three minutes. He, like John Fogerty before him, is capable of effortless American rock ‘n’ roll that resonates with listeners across the spectrum. There’s nothing flashy about any of this it’s a workmanlike approach that lies at the heart of Petty’s appeal, with and without the Heartbreakers. It starts off simply enough: a slow drum groove followed by some lethargic blues licks that gradually build into a laidback, almost nonchalant guitar figure that crops up here and there. Just about everything on “American Girl” is an instant classic, from the vocal and instrumental performances to the composition itself. The Heartbreakers are sharp as knives, and their harmonies backing up Petty already evoke the Byrds well before Petty started covering them. Petty’s vocal performance is remarkable, evoking proto-punk snottiness and the wistfulness of early rock & roll. Of course, “American Girl” is more than a riff. It’s a powerful piece of music, and it’s easy to see why everyone from low-rent bar bands to The Strokes has tried to bite off of the riff to “American Girl” over the years. Even the song’s brief instrumental bridge can’t seem to hold that riff back for much longer than a few seconds before it comes roaring back. It espouses endless possibility, a place and a life where anything can happen. Nothing that Tom Petty sings on “American Girl” so effortlessly captures that unsuppressed, carefree spirit in the way that that riff does. It’s that riff, isn’t it? That has to be what makes “American Girl” such a timeless piece of pop history, right? Well, no, but that’s a big part of it. ![]() ![]() The Spectrum Culture staff rolled up its sleeves and analyzed the collection, track by track. Tom Petty’s seminal Greatest Hits albums recently received a vinyl reissue upgrade.
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