Petty began to take control of his vocal gifts on the second Heartbreakers album.

Decades later, this is still one of the absolute best songs Tom Petty ever wrote, and one of the best tracks that the Heartbreakers ever recorded.

Tom Petty sets the record straight with Paul Zollo in Conversations With Tom Petty, concerning a very particular label that is often cast upon the Heartbreakers: “We’re always referred to as a Southern band,” he says. You May Also Like: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ gritty Mojo was more thanRead More

“Fooled Again,” with Tom Petty’s snarling vocals and the band’s equally intense performance, sets up a successful blueprint for later hits.

“Strangered In The Night” is the second and final song on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers that is a leftover from Petty’s solo record sessions, therefore not technically qualifying as a Heartbreakers song. You May Also Like: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ gritty Mojo was more than just the blues

For as long as rock ‘n’ roll has been around, there have been songs celebrating the genre. In the ’50s, there was “Rock And Roll Music,” “Twenty Flight Rock,” “Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay,” “Seven Nights To Rock,” and “Rock Around The Clock,” among many others. You MayRead More

“The Wild One, Forever” is one of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ best early songs. It’s unfortunate that it has somewhat fallen through the cracks.

It’s interesting that “Hometown Blues” is featured on two Heartbreakers best-of compilations — 1995’s five-disc, career-spanning box set Playback and 2000’s double-disc Anthology: Through The Years. Firstly, there are arguably better songs from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers that didn’t make the cut You May Also Like: Tom Petty andRead More

“Breakdown” is both Tom Petty’s first exceptional lyrical effort, and also his first really strong vocal performance.

Tom Petty kicked off things with a song that was harmony driven, uncomplicated – and unlike any other the Heartbreakers would ever create.