The Four Voices Of Tom Petty

The Tom Petty weekend reminded me of something my partner Tony & I had written up for our NYCD newsletter. This came hot on the heels of "Highway Companion" and was sent out to readers in August of 2006. 

It still makes me laugh so I thought I'd share it.  

 

 

TOM PETTY's excellent new album, Highway Companion, has gotten us listening to a lot of his older material as well. After much deliberation, coupled with boredom brought on by a slow day at the office, we have determined that Tom Petty sings with four separate and distinct voices:

 

 

 

1. THE DRAWL. Used mostly on his earlier recordings, such as "A Woman In Love" -- "Sheeza wowmuh ee-uh laaaaaaahhhhhve." His enunciation seems to have improved over the years, as he rarely employed The Drawl after the mid '80s, although the chorus of "Free Fallin'" is great Late Drawl.

2. THE HIGH-PITCHED QUAVER. As The Drawl was gradually phased out, The High-Pitched Quaver was utilized more and more, although it's in evidence as early as "Here Comes My Girl." The vast majority of his new album is H.P.Q., while the best-known example may be "Into The Great Wide Open."

3. THE QUASI-DYLAN. Not quite singing, not quite speaking, it sounds like Petty's doing a sorta half-assed Bob Dylan impersonation. The quintessential Q.D. is when he sings the title phrase of "Yer So Bad," before switching to High Pitched Quaver on the next line. He employs Quasi-Dylan on many songs, but rarely for more than a line or two. Surprisingly, "Jammin' Me," which Petty co-wrote with Dylan, has more Drawl than Quasi-Dylan.

4. THE PSEUDO-MEXICAN ACCENT. The Drawl taken to the next level. Frequently used on early classics like "A Woman In Love" ("Don' say a wor', don' seh naah-theen") and "Breakdown" ("Issawright if you lahve meh/Ees awrigh' eef you dun'") but rarely, if ever, since then. And that's probably a good thing, in this age of political correctness. Although it would be great to hear him do a cover of "Cuban Pete."

 

Let us know if you know of any songs that utilize all four Petty voices -- also known as a "Tom Petty Grand Slam" 

Songs Of The Week, 2026: 7/11-7/17

 

Jealous Lover- Rainbow
Gigantic- Pixies
Crazy Little Thing- Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band
Rivers Of Babylon- The Melodians
Duane- Jo-Ann Campbell
Sabotage- Beastie Boys
Sheik Of Araby- Leon Redbone

It's here.

Enjoy. 

It's Tom Petty Season

 

First, I'd like to thank Bill for the title of today's post.

Thank you, Bill.

There was a little thing going on over at the Now Playing blog after I made a comment about Petty's "Wildflowers" being just a bit overrated. I listened to it the other day and it didn't wow me the way it once did. I once considered it a 5-star record, but this week, it felt long and lacked punch.

I didn't make the comment to start trouble and I am not making the comment now to rile anyone up. I love Tom Petty and I am pretty sure I love "Wildflowers," though "To Find A Friend" on the last spin got under my skin. But also, when I created a playlist of my ten favorite Petty songs, nothing from "Wildflowers" made the cut. I had 15 songs, and the five that were cut weren't from "Wildflowers" either.

Maybe it's a passing phase like Taylor Farms Explosive Leafy Greens Diarrhea that's sweeping the country.

Just for fun, I wanted to share my ten favorite Tom Petty songs as of this moment.

In ascending order:

10. Stop Dragging My Heart Around
  9. Jammin' Me
  8. Even The Losers
  7. I Won't Back Down
  6. Echo
  5. A Face In The Crowd
  4. American Girl
  3. Walls
  2. Here Comes My Girl
  1. Hurt 

15-11 (in random order)

Louisiana Rain
Room At the Top
Listen To Her Heart
Surrender
Nightwatchman

That said, I absolutely hate the following five Tom Petty songs. I mean, these songs would cause me to lunge at the radio dial when they got played. That they became as popular as they did is a mystery to me.

5. A Woman In Love
4. Rebels
3. Breakdown (essentially The Animals "Cheating," but people were too busy hating Jimmy Page to say anything.)
2. Don't Come Around Here No More
1. Running Down A Dream (Possibly the worst hit by a favorite artist ever. Yes, even worse than "Bang The Drum All Day" by Todd Rundgren.)

Have fun.

There are a lot of possiblities here for a Saturday, from sharing your Petty Top Ten, or your Petty Worst Five, or either agreeing with me or defending "Wildflowers."

Godspeed to all readers under a tornado warning. Astoria Queens is in the red. 

P.S. 
I don't hate "Wildflowers." Not by a long shot.

 

 

Live And Yearnalism

 

A stellar Mojo review led me to "Yearnalism," the new record by Baby Rose. This is her third record, but as per usual, it's the first I am hearing of her. And guess what? She's playing three nights in August at Madison Square Garden.

 

But I digress.

 

At first, I was put off by her voice, which is a little too affected, though it does work on some tunes. I was ready to take it off by track three, but something about it kept me listening. In the end, I really liked it. A lot.

 

It's different, that's for sure. Maybe you'll hear what I am hearing. 

 

New New Radicals...Sort Of

 

Gregg Alexander's New Radicals were one and done, but that one, "Maybe, You've Been Brainwashed Too" is a true pop masterpiece.

Now I see, there is a reworked version of Michelle Branch's hit "The Game of Love," which I vaguely recall liking, or more accurately, not hating at the time.

What I didn't know was that it was written by Gregg Alexander and the two have joined forces for a new version. 

I think this new version is better because with Alexander's vocals and overall production, it aims and hits my Todd Rundgren/World Party bullseye.

Back To The Fabulous Courettes

 

I wrote this in 2022-

And speaking of Brazilian/Danish Garage duos, The Courettes have announced a 2022 tour, though no US dates are listed yet. Are you familiar with The Courettes? They play music with a big wall of sound, fuzzy guitars, and girl group melodies. Not exactly a fresh approach, but I have to admit, "Back In Mono," their newest release, has a few truly infectious songs. But, would anyone have given these songs a second thought if the album cover wasn't a play on "Presenting The Ronettes?" I admit, I only listened because of the cover. And I will also admit, these songs have little weight. By the second spin, I was bored.  But how about that album cover? 

 

It's 2026 now, and I had forgotten all about The Courettes until a friend told me how much he was enjoying their most recent, 2024's "The Soul Of The Fabulous Courettes." So I gave it a shot and I was pleasantly surprised.

 

There is a lot more than novelty going on with this record. It's bigger in sound and style, and well, the songs are better. Their hearts are still in the 60's, but so is mine and I really loved what I heard. Even the legendary La La Brooks of The Crystals makes a few appearances.

Inquiring Mind Wants To Know

 

Last week, a friend asked me, "Who is Noah Kahan?"

I didn't know.

I mean, I know he is a very popular musician. But I didn't know why because I hadn't heard a note of his music.

Then, last night during a quick social media scroll, I saw the name Jason Derulo and I had the same feeling. Who is this? He's huge, I thought. But why? Again, I hadn't heard a note of music.

If it was 1977, who would Noah Kahan, Jason Derulo, Turnstile and Angine de Poitrine be? 

This isn't a knock on these or any artists. I just have a feeling that in 1977, I would have not only known wildly popular artists, I would also know a lot of their music, whether I liked it or not. Today, not so much.

I could probably name another 50 artists just by spending one minute on Brooklyn Vegan's home page. Who are these people? I don't remember being this baffled in 1977 or 1987, for that matter.