YOU RANK ME BABY, YEAH YOU RATE ME 1-2 - ILM Artist Poll #71 - Tom Petty (results)

Campbell generally only got co-writing credit for tracks that he created on his own and petty then wrote to (obv the arrangements might change by the time the track was fully produced).

obv i'm on record as seeing his contributions going a lot deeper than that. there are a ton of tracks he didn't get writing credit for that can't be hummed without including his parts.

http://i.imgur.com/WiJUOgy.jpg

5 (TIE). Straight Into Darkness – 333 points (12 votes)
Original: http://youtu.be/oUovjEQri2I
Live, 1985: http://youtu.be.com/yONs2C6od-g

The obscure album track that surprised absolutely nobody with its placement. Easily one of his greatest songs.

And perfect picture!

I can't think of any recent poll results that more completely reflect the collective idiosyncrasies of ILM. Like, I wouldn't expect your average Tom Petty fan to even know this song, much less put it in the top 10.

Every poll is like this, there's always a Sway.

nah there's tons of polls with predictable results but maybe I'm just focusing on the ones I've run

It's funny, I don't think of this as obscure because Long After Dark was the first Petty album I owned, and this one got at least some rock radio play at the time. So it's always seemed canonical to me. As a teenager, it was one of those songs that seemed full of adult knowledge -- I couldn't directly relate to the sense of loss, but it made it palpable as a thing that was in the world to be experienced.

(And Campbell's guitar tone gave at least some idea of what it felt like.)

there may be some debate about "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" being one of Petty's finest songs. however, there should be no debate that "Stop Draggin' My Car Around" is one of Weird Al's least inspired parodies.

yup. if anything we just know now to look for the Sway. #5 on my ballot and in ILM's heart, and apparently one of Springsteen's favorite Petty tunes.

not sure i have anything to say that hasn't been said, and I totally hear what Petty means when he says they tried to do it as a guitar song but it didn't really come to life tip they turned it over to the piano.

dig the live version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86sQqz3GCkE

Yeah, definitely need to give Benmont credit too -- the piano and organ are sad and gorgeous.

It's on the two disc Anthology - feels like that defines the pre-Wildflowers Petty canon.

some dude OTM -- "stop draggin' my heart around" didn't even make my ballot and i still nurse a real grudge against weird al for his lazy-ass parody. come at the king, you best not miss iirc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb-NHxEFxQU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M191OMg2BEI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEMEpeE_bmY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSs4zE-aDj0

:/

this is why I love participating in polls, you always get that, 'oh yeah, that song!' moment.

https://i.imgur.com/Jg73LDQ.jpg

4. Even the Losers – 341 points (12 votes, three #1)
Studio: http://youtu.be/E30XxSYgmqo
Live, 1978 (he's still working on the lyrics): http://youtu.be/hBcBPMckeyM

TOO LOW

lol @ that mustache

AGH. Too low. My number one, by a wide margin.

BABY EVEN THE COUGARS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhnic4kZFs0

dude we get it

simmer down, only 1 of the top 3 has a Cougar Town episode named after it

"Cougar Town" sounds like a Mudcrutch title.

Regardless, can we talk about Even The Losers? The bridge (two cars park...) is the greatest moment in Tom Pettydom. It's the song with his most evocative lyric, strongest melody, best use of "oh oh oh oh" on the outro, most melodic chorus and more. Holy mackerel what a song!!!

lol @ that mustache

"Straight Into Darkness" made it to both "Playback" and "Anthology," so clearly he rates it. As far as album track obscurities go, I'd be curious to see what songs didn't make it to the first three discs of "Playback."

I'm glad ILM thinks "Losers" is better than 'Refugee"

kornrulez, apparently it's futile but fwiw i was one of the #1s.

if I had to explain Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers in a single track, there's another one i'd choose. but "even the losers" is the one i listen to more often.

the story goes, he had the whole song written except for the chorus and just said f it, let's roll tape, and what came out when the chorus rolled around is what we got, and he feels like he owes the muse one on that one.

tip of the hat to The Gaslight Anthem for covering multiple Petty songs AND namechecking him in an original

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL81lD8RHpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PXsfaH8_JA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfDGyXb5XnM

Every time we claim Petty is a singles artist, an album track refutes this notion

i don't think i've ever said that. imo he's a "half a great album" artist :D

http://i.imgur.com/FTUYcoj.jpg

3. Here Comes My Girl – 394 points (15 votes, three #1)
http://youtu.be/n4nPa35CZPI

OTM. He's more than a singles artist but all of his albums have what the kids used to call filler. He's more of a body-of-work guy.

In 1999, my friend bought a CD burner, I had never seen one before. First CD I burned was a Tom Petty best-of.

loooove that one, was starting to get my hopes up that it was #1

so long, Cougar Town!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRCYowgonj0

Here Comes My Girl. Great song.

So it's down to the final 2. What will finish on top, American Girl or Spike?

Zombie Zoo, obviously

Yeah, it's a funny contradiction. He's more than a singles artists, because all of his albums have good album tracks. And not many outright clunkers, at that. And yet, very few of his albums would be considered great albums, imo.

CORRECTION: "So Long, CougarTown" sounds like a Mudcrutch song.

Regardless, can we talk about Even The Losers? The bridge (two cars park...) is the greatest moment in Tom Pettydom. It's the song with his most evocative lyric, strongest melody, best use of "oh oh oh oh" on the outro, most melodic chorus and more. Holy mackerel what a song!!!

― kornrulez6969, Thursday, December 17, 2015 11:49 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Cosign all of this, it was my #1 too.

2 Cougar Town episodes actually were named after Mudcrutch songs!

"Even The Losers" really is a song that sums up Petty in a nutshell. he wasn't an outright weirdo, but he had an underdog quality that central casting-looking natural rock stars like Springsteen and Mellencamp didn't have, and yet he managed to have so many triumphant moments.

he's about as weird as a traditionalist can be

^^ that's it right there

xpost Eh, natural or no, Bruce was a big dork for a long time. Skinny, bad skin, beatnik style, underbite. He grew into his stardom. But if by your comment you meant more that Tom Petty kind of looks like a human chicken crossed with a goat and ergo makes an odd rock star, that's for sure.

Robert Christgau--who is not a fan--summed it up nicely. "Grant him this--he's a hooky sumbitch"

It is interesting that of that era he doesn't and never did seem even the least bit interested in or influenced by punk. He just skipped over it straight to new wave. Sort of like Dire Straits, I guess.

i never end up singing at karaoke on the rare occasions i go to a karaoke night but i always think i'd probably do some Petty. "Don't Do Me Like That" has long been my imaginary go-to but listening now i think maybe "Here Comes My Girl" would be more fun.

here comes my girl would demand some practice runs imo