[Music]
he had a mind with a heart of its own
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
Tom Petty songs
[Music]
before we begin we publish new videos
every day so be sure to subscribe for
more great content for this list will
only be looking at material released by
petit as a solo artist or with the
Heartbreakers though they produced some
undeniably great songs we are excluding
offerings from mud crutch or the
Traveling Wilburys
[Music]
number ten breakdown it’s a we start our
list with the tune that put Petty and
company on the musical map sounding
unlike anything that had come before it
this single stood out in an era of prog
rock Zeppelin and disco more importantly
however it had that special quality man
that catchiness necessary to make it an
enduring classic
[Music]
in fact to this day breakdown still gets
regular rotation on rock radio stations
written by the singer during a short
recording break the Looney tune wasn’t a
hit when it was first released but it
went on to be a top 40 hit in North
America and a concert regular you can
walk out that door I can stand and I can
face it I can live with it every day of
my life you don’t make any difference at
all to me because it’s
[Music]
number nine you don’t know how it feels
[Music]
rife with Neil Young style harmonica
fills electric piano and stripped-down
drums this hit from petty second solo
album is the perfect song for cruising
along on a summer day notable for
featuring Steve Ferrone II who would
soon become the drummer for Petty’s main
outlet the Heartbreakers this was the
biggest hit off the album wild flowers
however because of a passing reference
to drug use it actually caused a stir
with radio stations in the end many
outlets played a censored version of the
song replacing the word roll with hitch
or a version with the offending line
distorted altogether
[Music]
number eight learning to fly
[Music]
proving once again that uh I really need
is for chords and something to say this
song co-written with fellow Wilbury and
ELO frontman jeff flynn topped the
Billboard album Rock Tracks chart in
1991 becoming the band’s longest-running
number-one and achieved the extremely
respectable position of number 28 on the
Hot 100
[Music]
although not immediately apparent in the
lyrics petit has said the song was
inspired by the Gulf War once you have
that in mind you can see how the rock
melting and sky burning psychedelic
imagery came from news coverage of the
time
[Music]
[Music]
number seven runnin down a dream
[Music]
co-written with heartbreaker guitarist
Mike Campbell and yellows Jeff Lynn this
riff rocker hit the top of the Billboard
album Rock Tracks chart and landed at
number 23 on Canadian and American
singles charts the song not only
showcases Petty’s unique gifts as a
lyricist but also proves that Campbell
has guitar chops to rival the best of
them with its tight rhythm track and
scorching guitar work dream is
unsurprisingly a live favorite with only
refugee and American girl receiving more
plays
[Music]
even decades later it continues to show
up in film video games and television I
never want to lose this feeling
[Music]
number six into the great wide open this
title track from the album of the same
name features the Beatles ask production
style of Els Jeff Lynne fool once again
also co-wrote the track with petty in
addition to being labeled as quote a
return to form for the band and reaching
the number four spot on Billboard’s
album Rock Tracks chart this single also
prompted one of the singers best-known
videos thanks in no small part to the
fact that Johnny Depp took the lead role
said I don’t ever sing
beauty was
while it’s far more common in the rock
genre for a song to get shortened for
radio or music videos into the Great
Wide Open was actually extended in
length to accommodate the julian temple
short epic the more the better
[Music]
number five Mary Jane’s last dance
[Music]
although the roots of this song go back
to the full moon fever album the song
was finally completed and recorded for
inclusion on Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers greatest hits album it
earned its right to be there soon after
hitting number one on the album Rock
Tracks chart and a solid 14 on the Hot
100 when released as a single the last
Heartbreakers recording to feature
drummer Stan Lynch who left the group in
1994 this is another Tom Petty song that
prompted a memorable video featuring a
Hollywood star however despite rumours
the song is not a reference to marijuana
use and was written with the working
title Indiana girl
[Music]
number four I won’t back down
[Music]
protip any musicians looking to make it
in the music industry should attempt to
befriend Jeff Lynne Petty’s frequent
collaborators in the sand
the Wilbury co-write hit number one on
the Billboard album Rock Tracks chart 12
on the hot 100 and 29 on the modern Rock
chart
[Music]
[Applause]
far cooler though it features a genuine
beetle in a form of George Harrison and
yes while Ringo does man the traps in
the video star does not in fact play on
the track although he would appear on
later petty songs
[Music]
number three refugee as the story goes
this song was originally written by Mike
Campbell as a simple jam track to
practice blues licks over but the
guitarist soon realized he was onto
something bigger
once the tune was presented to petty the
singer wrote a set of lyrics in a matter
of minutes with the overall feel of the
song reflecting the troubles the band
was having with their record company at
the time
[Music]
when released as a single it hit number
15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and cemented
Tom Petty and his crew firmly in the
public eye talk about 10 minutes of work
very well spent
[Music]
number two American Girl
pop quiz who plays the 12 string guitar
on this one answer
no one channeling Bo Diddley and
sounding so much like the birds that one
might have thought they wrote it this
original was an instant classic and
remains Petty’s most played live songs
bird guitarist roger McGuinn himself
became the first of a long list of
people to cover the track with even the
strokes confessing to lifting the riff
for their hit last night the story
behind the song’s lyrics meanwhile has
morphed into an oft-repeated
but untrue urban legend about a teen
suicide whatever it’s about it’s an
unforgettably frenetic track and a petty
staples
[Applause]
before we unveil our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
number one free fall ins
[Music]
taking our top spot is Tom Petty’s
signature solo hit once again this track
was written with the help of Jeff Lynn
and petty cited the creative process
behind it as a relaxed and casual one
[Music]
many of the verse lyrics were ad-libbed
in the demoing stage while linn supplied
the hook and title an ode to california
life and the pursuit of freedom this
song paints a picture like few others
it’s certainly connected with fans as
the tune hit number seven on the
Billboard Hot 100 in 1990 and has also
been covered by a variety of artists
including Keith Urban and John Mayer not
bad for a song and an album recorded in
a garage
[Music]
do you agree with our picks check out
these other great clips from watch mojo
and subscribe for new videos every day
he had a mind with a heart of its own
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
Tom Petty songs
[Music]
before we begin we publish new videos
every day so be sure to subscribe for
more great content for this list will
only be looking at material released by
petit as a solo artist or with the
Heartbreakers though they produced some
undeniably great songs we are excluding
offerings from mud crutch or the
Traveling Wilburys
[Music]
number ten breakdown it’s a we start our
list with the tune that put Petty and
company on the musical map sounding
unlike anything that had come before it
this single stood out in an era of prog
rock Zeppelin and disco more importantly
however it had that special quality man
that catchiness necessary to make it an
enduring classic
[Music]
in fact to this day breakdown still gets
regular rotation on rock radio stations
written by the singer during a short
recording break the Looney tune wasn’t a
hit when it was first released but it
went on to be a top 40 hit in North
America and a concert regular you can
walk out that door I can stand and I can
face it I can live with it every day of
my life you don’t make any difference at
all to me because it’s
[Music]
number nine you don’t know how it feels
[Music]
rife with Neil Young style harmonica
fills electric piano and stripped-down
drums this hit from petty second solo
album is the perfect song for cruising
along on a summer day notable for
featuring Steve Ferrone II who would
soon become the drummer for Petty’s main
outlet the Heartbreakers this was the
biggest hit off the album wild flowers
however because of a passing reference
to drug use it actually caused a stir
with radio stations in the end many
outlets played a censored version of the
song replacing the word roll with hitch
or a version with the offending line
distorted altogether
[Music]
number eight learning to fly
[Music]
proving once again that uh I really need
is for chords and something to say this
song co-written with fellow Wilbury and
ELO frontman jeff flynn topped the
Billboard album Rock Tracks chart in
1991 becoming the band’s longest-running
number-one and achieved the extremely
respectable position of number 28 on the
Hot 100
[Music]
although not immediately apparent in the
lyrics petit has said the song was
inspired by the Gulf War once you have
that in mind you can see how the rock
melting and sky burning psychedelic
imagery came from news coverage of the
time
[Music]
[Music]
number seven runnin down a dream
[Music]
co-written with heartbreaker guitarist
Mike Campbell and yellows Jeff Lynn this
riff rocker hit the top of the Billboard
album Rock Tracks chart and landed at
number 23 on Canadian and American
singles charts the song not only
showcases Petty’s unique gifts as a
lyricist but also proves that Campbell
has guitar chops to rival the best of
them with its tight rhythm track and
scorching guitar work dream is
unsurprisingly a live favorite with only
refugee and American girl receiving more
plays
[Music]
even decades later it continues to show
up in film video games and television I
never want to lose this feeling
[Music]
number six into the great wide open this
title track from the album of the same
name features the Beatles ask production
style of Els Jeff Lynne fool once again
also co-wrote the track with petty in
addition to being labeled as quote a
return to form for the band and reaching
the number four spot on Billboard’s
album Rock Tracks chart this single also
prompted one of the singers best-known
videos thanks in no small part to the
fact that Johnny Depp took the lead role
said I don’t ever sing
beauty was
while it’s far more common in the rock
genre for a song to get shortened for
radio or music videos into the Great
Wide Open was actually extended in
length to accommodate the julian temple
short epic the more the better
[Music]
number five Mary Jane’s last dance
[Music]
although the roots of this song go back
to the full moon fever album the song
was finally completed and recorded for
inclusion on Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers greatest hits album it
earned its right to be there soon after
hitting number one on the album Rock
Tracks chart and a solid 14 on the Hot
100 when released as a single the last
Heartbreakers recording to feature
drummer Stan Lynch who left the group in
1994 this is another Tom Petty song that
prompted a memorable video featuring a
Hollywood star however despite rumours
the song is not a reference to marijuana
use and was written with the working
title Indiana girl
[Music]
number four I won’t back down
[Music]
protip any musicians looking to make it
in the music industry should attempt to
befriend Jeff Lynne Petty’s frequent
collaborators in the sand
the Wilbury co-write hit number one on
the Billboard album Rock Tracks chart 12
on the hot 100 and 29 on the modern Rock
chart
[Music]
[Applause]
far cooler though it features a genuine
beetle in a form of George Harrison and
yes while Ringo does man the traps in
the video star does not in fact play on
the track although he would appear on
later petty songs
[Music]
number three refugee as the story goes
this song was originally written by Mike
Campbell as a simple jam track to
practice blues licks over but the
guitarist soon realized he was onto
something bigger
once the tune was presented to petty the
singer wrote a set of lyrics in a matter
of minutes with the overall feel of the
song reflecting the troubles the band
was having with their record company at
the time
[Music]
when released as a single it hit number
15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and cemented
Tom Petty and his crew firmly in the
public eye talk about 10 minutes of work
very well spent
[Music]
number two American Girl
pop quiz who plays the 12 string guitar
on this one answer
no one channeling Bo Diddley and
sounding so much like the birds that one
might have thought they wrote it this
original was an instant classic and
remains Petty’s most played live songs
bird guitarist roger McGuinn himself
became the first of a long list of
people to cover the track with even the
strokes confessing to lifting the riff
for their hit last night the story
behind the song’s lyrics meanwhile has
morphed into an oft-repeated
but untrue urban legend about a teen
suicide whatever it’s about it’s an
unforgettably frenetic track and a petty
staples
[Applause]
before we unveil our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
number one free fall ins
[Music]
taking our top spot is Tom Petty’s
signature solo hit once again this track
was written with the help of Jeff Lynn
and petty cited the creative process
behind it as a relaxed and casual one
[Music]
many of the verse lyrics were ad-libbed
in the demoing stage while linn supplied
the hook and title an ode to california
life and the pursuit of freedom this
song paints a picture like few others
it’s certainly connected with fans as
the tune hit number seven on the
Billboard Hot 100 in 1990 and has also
been covered by a variety of artists
including Keith Urban and John Mayer not
bad for a song and an album recorded in
a garage
[Music]
do you agree with our picks check out
these other great clips from watch mojo
and subscribe for new videos every day
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