Tom Petty: An artist worthy of multigenerational success

Everyone, at some inevitable point in their lives, is forced to let go of something for the sole reason that the burden grows too heavy. Fortunately, however, because that pain is such a universally human experience, an abundance of art explores this existential frustration.

None, in my opinion, does so as perfectly as the soft-rock sounds of the late, great Tom Petty.

From the feel-good melodies and legendary Americana aesthetic, to the inventive and oftentimes painfully human lyrics, the influence of Tom Petty has utterly surpassed generations– it can be said with almost absolute certainty that every person above the age of ten knows at least the choruses to “I Won’t Back Down” and “Free Fallin’.”

So, for those of you who either a.) are going through the aforementioned pain and need an understanding soundtrack companion, b.) want to dig a little deeper into Petty’s discography than his classic (but no less insanely awesome) tunes mentioned above, or c.) don’t believe my praise to be worthy, I invite you to listen to my personal favorite Tom Petty songs.

Prepare to be catapulted back to a much simpler time:

“A Face In The Crowd”

Is it possible to capture in three minutes and 59 seconds simultaneously both the gut-wrenching pain of falling out of love AND the equally gut-wrenching pain of feeling insignificant? Listen to this song and you’ll probably figure out the right answer. (Hint: it’s yes.)

“Time to Move On”

This one’s for those of you who chose option ‘a’ in the list above: use this song to finally learn how to let go. Change is natural! Let it happen. (For optimal results, I suggest listening on repeat for, quite literally, hours on end.)

“The Apartment Song”

See, this one sounds happy, but I assure you it’s not that happy. Nonetheless, the borderline painfully honest lyrics matched with the rather upbeat tempo and happy-go-lucky melody all lend themselves to making “The Apartment Song” one of my all-time Petty favorites.

“Yer So Bad”

Now this one sounds happy and actually is happy (well, kind of). It’s a should-be classic and, in my opinion, deserves just as much fame as his other more well-known tunes– who doesn’t love an upbeat tempo and an allusion to Sylvia Plath?

These might be my personal favorites, but that doesn’t mean they have to be yours! Keep listening to the legendary artist and I’m sure you will find at least one song that either speaks to your pain or offers a new perspective on it— trust me, his music will “keep this world from dragging you down.”