I still have not really gotten over the passing of Tom Petty. That man’s music had gotten me through some many things over the years. Since all of us love music, we all have artists to whom we turn during times of happiness and duress. Whomever your artist is to whom you turn during times of joy or sorrow, you tend to get to know their music on a much deeper level.
There are some who are Dylanologists, those who study Bob Dylan on a deeper level than just a passing fancy with his music. Likewise, there are people who became obsessed with The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, in addition to so many others. Personally, I study the life and music of five artists: Prince, Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, R.E.M., Daryl Hall & John Oates. But, it is truly Prince and Petty to whom I turn when all else falls to stabilize my soul. I have followed those two artists, along with R.E.M. and Cheap Trick, since I discovered them all earlier in their careers, which has made it easy to follow them. Since I am grieving both for my friend Randy, and Tom Petty.
I must admit that I normally do not turn toward Tom’s classic Greatest Hits album nor his equally important Anthology. I prefer my own personal playlist that I have on iTunes, which I know is so yesterday. I know I should be using Spotify or Pandora or some other streaming service, but honestly prefer vinyl and even CDs compared to mp3 and streams, as I never have trouble with the playback of the older media as I do with the newer forms of music. I honestly love Tom Petty’s deeper cuts as well as any of his hits. I love his box sets Playback and Live Anthology, with their treasure trove of awesome tracks of non-hit material.
So, in honor of Tom Petty’s immortal status as one of Earth’s all-time great songwriters, here is my list of my 50 favorite deep cuts by Tom Petty that will drive my point home.
- “Insider” with Stevie Nicks (Hard Promises, 1981)
- “The Wild One, Forever” (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1976)
- “Louisiana Rain” (Damn the Torpedoes, 1979)
- “Casa Dega” (Playback, 1995)
- “Peace in L.A.” (Playback, 1995)
- “You Can Still Change Your Mind” (Hard Promises, 1981)
- “Letting You Go” (Hard Promises, 1981)
- “Fooled Again (And I Don’t Like It)” (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1976)
- “Asshole” (Songs and Music from the Motion Picture “She’s the One”, 1996)
- “Luna” (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1976)
- “Southern Accents” (Southern Accents, 1985)
- “Magnolia” (You’re Gonna Get It!, 1978)
- “A Thing About You” (Hard Promises, 1981)
- “Swingin’” (Echo, 1999)
- “Friend of the Devil” (Live Anthology, 2010)
- “Saving Grace” (Highway Companion, 2006)
- “Heartbreakers Party” (Playback, 1995)
- “Walls (Circus)” (Songs and Music from the Motion Picture “She’s the One”, 1996)
- “Dreamville” (The Last DJ, 2002)
- “Dog on the Run” (Southern Accents, 1985)
- “Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid)” (Damned the Torpedoes, 1979)
- “Scare Easy” – Mudcrutch (Mudcrutch, 2008)
- “Something Big” (Hard Promises, 1981)
- “Runaway Trains” (Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough), 1987)
- “Shady Grove” – Mudcrutch (Mudcrutch, 2008)
- “Century City” (Damn the Torpedoes, 1979)
- “Anything That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1976)
- “Make It Better (Forget About Me)” (Southern Accents, 1985)
- “Room at the Top” (Echo, 1999)
- “Honey Bee” (Wildflowers, 1994)
- “Think About Me” (Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough), 1987)
- “Nightwatchman” (Hard Promises, 1981)
- “Free Girl Now” (Echo, 1999)
- “Needles and Pins” with Stevie Nicks (Pack Up the Plantation: Live!, 1985)
- “It’s Good to Be King” (Wildflowers, 1994)
- “Gator on the Lawn” (Playback, 1995)
- “Jefferson Jericho Blues” (Mojo, 2010)
- “Love Is a Long Road” (Kiss My Amps Vol. 2 Live, 2013)
- “Two Gunslingers” (Into the Great Wide Open, 1991)
- “American Dream Plan B” (Hypnotic Eye, 2011)
- “A Face in the Crowd” (Full Moon Fever, 1989)
- “Trailer” – Mudcrutch (Mudcrutch 2, 2016)
- “Jaguar and Thunderbird” (Official Live Bootleg LP, 1977)
- “Crawling Back to You” (Wildflowers, 1994)
- “Hurt” (You’re Gonna Get It!, 1978)
- “Best of Everything” (Southern Accents, 1985)
- “I Should Have Known It” (Mojo, 2010)
- “Kings Highway” (Into the Great Wide Open, 1991)
- “One Story Town” (Long After Dark, 1982)
- “Fault Lines” (Hypnotic Eye, 2011)
Here’s to one of my musical heroes, Tom Petty. RIP.
I cannot believe that I totally left off one of my five favorite Tom Petty deep cuts. The song is the absolutely brilliant “Waiting for Tonight” that can be found on Petty’s terrific 6-disc box set ‘Playback’. Like many others, I cannot believe this song was left off his albums. It is simply one of his best songs with some awesome backing vocals done by the Bangles. If I were to rank it, I would place the song at #2. Sorry about this late correction!
If My Records Could Talk 