The nightmare behind Tom Petty’s ‘Damn the Torpedoes’
Every artist will put every fibre of their meaning into ensuring their album is recorded properly. Even though it might take a minor miracle and hours upon hours in the studio, it all tends to be worth it once a song gets its just due on the radio, becoming a modern classic and turning artists into the biggest acts in the world overnight. While Tom Petty was already gaining momentum from the strength of his first two projects, everything stopped when he started working on Damn the Torpedoes.
Just listening to the record, it’s easy to hear that Petty was on the verge of his creative pinnacle, reaching a level of craftsmanship he never had before on tracks like ‘Refugee’ and ‘Here Comes My Girl’. Before any of the Heartbreakers had played a note, though, their producer, Jimmy Iovine, had to whip them into shape.
Knowing the potential of the songs, Iovine had come down to work on the project as an engineer before showing up with his personal engineer, Shelly Yakus. Not liking the way the band were gelling in the studio, Iovine would find himself at odds with drummer Stan Lynch, spending days trying to get the right drum track.
Not wanting to stitch any takes together, most songs were done off the floor. When discussing the album’s recording, ‘Refugee’ reportedly took the longest to create, going over the track more than 100 times until they finally landed on a version they were happy with. While the band were playing their asses off, Petty encountered another stumbling block when suing his label.
Wanting to seize the copyright of his songs, MCA Records took away Petty’s publishing rights, meaning that he would never earn a cent for writing his songs. Rather than roll over, Petty would declare bankruptcy, meaning his record contract was void. Going to war against his label, Petty had to manage time in the studio while dealing with legal matters during the day.
One infamous meeting with the higher-ups included Petty flashing his switchblade, entering a meeting and cleaning his nails as the label’s statements were being read aloud. Looking to earn money between the sessions, the Heartbreakers even booked a tour midway through production, selling T-shirts outside the venue reading “Why MCA?” on the front.
After a few months of the case being read, Petty had to bend over backwards to ensure that MCA would never seize the session tapes. Rather than lie before the jury, Petty instructed his roadies to take the tapes from the studio every day they were finished and not tell him where he was taking them. That way, Petty would be able to be completely honest when he said that he didn’t know where the tapes were.
Buckling at the last minute, MCA eventually gave Petty his publishing back, putting out Damn the Torpedoes on his imprint, Backstreet Records. While the music could have taken a backseat, Damn the Torpedoes became the biggest triumph of the group’s career, spawning hits singles like ‘Don’t Do Me Like That’ and ‘Here Comes My Girl’, each of which would become staples on classic rock radio.
Although Petty may have carried himself like the classic rock heroes of old, his approach to going against his label epitomised what punk rock should be. The horror stories in and out of the studio may have been any other artist’s worst nightmare, but Petty wouldn’t let any industry bullshit get in the way of him having the rights to his material.
