Blown Away: the song that got Mike Campbell in The Heartbreakers
Every good frontman usually needs a second in command for magic to happen. Neil Young always had various members of Crazy Horse to work off, and no matter how many times he creates a rock and roll church onstage, Bruce Springsteen will always have people like Stevie Van Zandt by his side to play his comedic foil when he kicks off ‘Born to Run’. Mike Campbell, meanwhile, slotted in perfectly as the co-captain of the Heartbreakers, but he had to win over Tom Petty with ‘Johnny B Goode’ before he got the gig.
Despite Petty being the name on the bill every time the group plays, Campbell is the true unsung hero of the group. He was never looking to go out front and overshadow Petty in any way, but his guitar usually did the talking for him, coming up with fantastic lead lines or putting together riffs for future classics like ‘Refugee’ and ‘Here Comes My Girl’.
Then again, Petty wasn’t exactly looking for a guitar player when he was putting together his first band, Mudcrutch. They already had a superb guitar player in Tom Leadon, and if they were going to go the distance, they wouldn’t need any dead weight among their ranks. Once they started to secure a drummer in Randall Marsh, Campbell got his chance to show his skills.
According to Petty, they had met Campbell and were immediately sceptical about what he could do, telling Runnin’ Down a Dream, “I hear [Randall] say, ‘Hey Mike, can you play rhythm guitar?’ and this voice comes back: ‘I think so.’ In walks Mike Campbell, wearing short cut-off jeans that I haven’t seen him wear since. He takes out this expensive Japanese guitar, and we go, ‘Oh no, this guy’s bound to be terrible’. Then he kicks off ‘Johnny B Goode’, and we’re not looking at the drummer anymore.”
While any musician who didn’t know the Chuck Berry classic would probably be fired from the Heartbreakers on the spot, Campbell fit in like a glove with Petty in Mudcrutch. The group knew that they could conquer the world if they had the right opportunity, but once everything fell apart, Petty knew that Campbell had to stay.
After being offered a solo deal, Petty had to ensure that Campbell was still by his side, saying, “I immediately went to Mike and said, ‘Don’t leave me’. And I was really upset about [losing] Benmont Tench.” Once Petty got his keyboardist back and commandeered the Heartbreakers, Campbell’s lead lines became their first hooks, like the opening jangle of ‘American Girl’ or the central lick of ‘Breakdown’.
Despite being in one of the biggest bands in the world, Campbell still flies under the radar in terms of the greatest guitarists in rock. He wasn’t looking to play the most intense fretboard run you’ve ever heard, but his way of writing melodic solo lines is the closest America has to come to having their own version of George Harrison.
Aside from his skills, Campbell still seems to be one of the most humble people in rock music as well, always taking his compliments with a grain of salt and just looking to keep getting better. It’s admirable for any guitarist to want to improve their craft now and again, but as far as Campbell, it’s pretty hard to improve on perfection.
