After suffering cardiac arrest, 66-year-old Gainesville Native and rock artist Tom Petty was pronounced dead on Monday, October 2nd, 2017.
Reading this news for the first time brought tears to my eyes. I was raised on Tom's grounded in the southern rock and roll, and was shocked to hear that some of my fellow millennials didn't even know who Tom Petty was.
Not only did listening to Tom Petty as a kid shape my taste in music, it became the soundtrack to my upbringing and a constant undertone to a rather chaotic and inconsistent childhood. Tom Petty radiated a few big things through his music: confidence, having fun, laying back, being upfront and seeking out honesty from others, and of course standing up for what he believed in.
Growing up with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Greatest Hits always playing in the CD slot of my mom's suburban (and still playing there as I became old enough to drive that same car) I'd like to give a tribute to the legend himself, for everything he gave to me.
1. "American Girl" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"...raised on promises. She couldn't help thinking there was a little more to life somewhere else."
Thank you for teaching me that there are always lots of places to run to.
2. "Breakdown" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"It's alright if you love me, it's alright if you don't. I'm not afraid of you running away, honey, I get the feeling you won't."
3. "Listen to Her Heart" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"She might need a lot of loving but she don't need you."
Thank you for reminding me of my independence.
4. "I Need to Know" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Thank you for teaching young me that it's better to be hurt than to be led on.
5. "Refugee" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"Honey, it don't make no difference to me, baby. Everybody's had to fight to be free."
Thanks for teaching me I don't have to live like a refugee just because I've been kicked around some.
6. "Don't Do Me Like That" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"..you better watch your step, or you're gonna get hurt yourself. Someone's gonna tell you lies, cut you down a size."
Thank you for teaching me to stand up for myself, and reminding that karma is a real thing.
7. "Wildflowers" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"You belong somewhere you feel free"
Thank you for understanding me to my core.
8. " Here Comes My Girl" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Thank you for one of the few songs that makes me actually want to be in love.
9. "Don't Come Around Here No More" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Thank you for teaching me to speak up when I've had enough. Oh and thanks for the awesome Alice in Wonderland video.
10. "Runnin' Down a Dream" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Thank you for teaching me to go after it, even if it's not quite something tangible.
11. "Free Fallin'" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"I'm a bad boy, cause I don't even miss her."
Thank you for the first song I learned to play on guitar and for a glimpse of freedom before I experienced it for myself.
Side note to all young people who don't know: no this is not John Mayer's original song.
12. "Learning to Fly" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Thank you for teaching me that "coming down is the hardest thing." Looks like you finally got those wings.
13. "Into The Great Wide Open" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"A rebel without a clue."
Thank you for teaching me that the sky is the limit.
14. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"Take me as I come cause I can't stay long."
Thank you for understanding that a town gets tired and for teaching me to keep moving on.
15. "Somewhere Under Heaven" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"She could smell the earth and sky and off her mind would go... In the eye of a hurricane little Jenny would dance in the rain."
I had to save this one for last because of how much it means to me: thank you for the soundtrack to my soul and for teaching me to "hold on to what love you find, you're gonna need all you can get."
While I never will get to check seeing Tom Petty in concert off of my bucket list, I am thankful for all the art he put out during his time on earth and am sending prayers and best wishes to the family and friends he leaves behind. Rest in Peace to my fellow Floridian, Thomas Earl Petty.
