Damn... I am a little heartbroken this morning to hear that Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is dead. He had a massive heart attack and went into cardiac arrest. Physicians were unable to revive him.
I read about his death last night, but then awoke to news that reports of his death were premature. It's now been confirmed that Petty is gone at 66. He joins so many great artists from my youth who have died too young.
When there was a flicker of hope that Petty wasn't going to die, a friend of mine on Facebook said, "If he pulls through, he will enjoy the iTunes downloads." I did chuckle at the black humor and I must admit that I did go and download a couple of Petty's albums this morning. There are still a lot that I don't own, but I figured I had to buy Damn the Torpedoes at the very least. That was the first of his albums that I remember. It was released in 1979 and I always loved his song, "Don't Do Me Like That".
As I mentioned in this morning's post on The Overeducated Housewife, I was reminded of Petty about ten days ago, as Bill and I were driving home from a fest in a town called Weil der Stadt. Petty's song, "Listen to Her Heart" came on and I found myself listening closely to the lyrics. They struck me as very sensitive and poignant.
I learned while reading Don Felder's tell all about his time in The Eagles that he was one of Tom Petty's guitar teachers. They were both from Gainesville, Florida and, I guess, knew each other when neither was a big star. I'm sitting here trying to imagine Felder teaching Petty and then years later, seeing his student become a rock star. It must have been very gratifying for them both.
I read about his death last night, but then awoke to news that reports of his death were premature. It's now been confirmed that Petty is gone at 66. He joins so many great artists from my youth who have died too young.
When there was a flicker of hope that Petty wasn't going to die, a friend of mine on Facebook said, "If he pulls through, he will enjoy the iTunes downloads." I did chuckle at the black humor and I must admit that I did go and download a couple of Petty's albums this morning. There are still a lot that I don't own, but I figured I had to buy Damn the Torpedoes at the very least. That was the first of his albums that I remember. It was released in 1979 and I always loved his song, "Don't Do Me Like That".
I always loved this song for its powerful keyboard intro and timeless rock appeal...
As I mentioned in this morning's post on The Overeducated Housewife, I was reminded of Petty about ten days ago, as Bill and I were driving home from a fest in a town called Weil der Stadt. Petty's song, "Listen to Her Heart" came on and I found myself listening closely to the lyrics. They struck me as very sensitive and poignant.
"Listen to Her Heart"
And then there were songs he did that were just really sexy... I always thought the song "Breakdown" was very sensual.
This is an old song, but it still sounds great today.
"Here Comes My Girl" is another really sexy number. Timeless and pulsating with lust, this song never fails to make me think of a man who just really appreciates his girl.
Shit... I could sit here all day and play Petty's hits...
I learned while reading Don Felder's tell all about his time in The Eagles that he was one of Tom Petty's guitar teachers. They were both from Gainesville, Florida and, I guess, knew each other when neither was a big star. I'm sitting here trying to imagine Felder teaching Petty and then years later, seeing his student become a rock star. It must have been very gratifying for them both.
Well, this post is not very eloquent. I am not finding the right words I need to express myself right now. I'm just really sad Tom Petty is dead. Too many great artists are dying before their time. That makes me sad because really great music is one of the few things in life that make being here worthwhile for me. Many condolences to Tom Petty's family and friends. At least we're left with a treasure trove of great music to remember him by... He had forty great years in the music business. I'm glad I was around for them.
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