The Tom Petty song about “losing our moral compass”
Alongside crafting a rousing form of Americana that had fans from around the world rapt, Tom Petty also cultivated his esteemed reputation by sticking it to the man as and when he could. In this sense, he was one of the truest rockstars, with his bold desire to stand up for what he saw right remaining one of his greatest feats, leading by example amid a morass of peers that did not concern themselves with such worldly matters.
While filing legal action against his label MCA remains one of Petty’s ultimate highlights, with it one of the most consequential David vs Goliath tales in music, other moments across his life and career outline his dedication to the righteous cause. Naturally, much of his personal philosophy made its way into his songs, with ‘The Last DJ’, from the 2002 album of the same name, bearing one of his most vital messages.
On the surface level, the track is a commentary on the corporate seizure of the radio. As a result of this sea change, in the late 1990s, stations began to computerise their playlists and have DJs pre-record slots, saving money for the owners. Known as voice-tracking, this practice allows a DJ to record a slot from another location whenever they see fit. For instance, many station groups will have one DJ voice track and a myriad of shows for different stations daily. The major downside of this practice is that these pre-recorded segments cannot respond to current events and lose the dynamism of live radio.
In a 2003 interview, Petty told Jim DeRogatis that his song is “about a DJ in Jacksonville, Florida, who became so frustrated with his inability to play what he wants that he moves to Mexico and gets his freedom back. The song is sung by a narrator who’s a fan of this DJ”.
Elsewhere, when speaking to Mojo in January 2010, Petty explained how there’s more to the track than it being purely about the commercialisation of the radio. The song is a metaphor for us “losing our moral compass”. Detailing further, Petty said: “Radio was just a metaphor. ‘The Last DJ’ was really about losing our moral compass, our moral centre. We don’t care who gets hurt any more in the quest for the dollar. That was what I was trying to say. My mistake was hanging so much of it on the music business; where had I been, under a rock?”
Interestingly, the track’s more literal meaning offended some. It was banned by numerous US stations owned by Clear Channel Communications for being “anti-radio”. Explaining his feelings toward reaction, Petter said: “I was elated when my song was banned,” he told Billboard. “I remember when the radio meant something. We enjoyed the people who were on it, even if we hated them. They had personalities. They were people of taste, who we trusted. And I see that vanishing.”
Elsewhere, DJ Jim Ladd has been noted as influencing Petty to pen the track. After all, Petty wrote in the album liner notes, “Thanks to Jim Ladd for his inspiration and courage”.
Interestingly, the Californian songwriter Jim Wagner sued Petty and Ladd over the piece, claiming it was ripped from a song he wrote in 2000 called ‘The Last Great Radio DJ’. In the $4.5million suit, Wagner claimed that he sent a demo of his track to Ladd, who then handed it to Petty. In response to the suit, Petty countered: “My song, ‘The Last DJ,’ was written completely without any outside influence. It is a wholly original composition. Claiming that Jim Ladd ever gave me another piece of music or discussed the plaintiff or his song with me in any way whatsoever is a total falsehood.”
Listen to ‘The Last DJ’ below.
