The classic Tom Petty song he attributed to The Doors
In a career that spanned more than four decades, Tom Petty crafted a signature sound that blended rock and pop with Americana. His songwriting prowess saw heartfelt delicacies live alongside anthems that would – and continue to – soundtrack long road trips with the windows down.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ self-titled debut marked the Floridian frontman’s arrival to rock and roll in 1976. The album featured two singles, ‘Breakdown’ and ‘American Girl’, which became the initial kindling of the band’s legacy. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would release 13 studio albums during their tenure, but it was in 1999 that they released one of their perhaps most overlooked oeuvres.
It was 25 years after Petty and a young band of starry-eyed musicians departed Gainesville, Florida, and headed for the dream-laden lights of Hollywood that Echo landed. The 15-track opus marked the tenth outing for the group and included singles ‘Free Girl Now’, ‘Swingin’’ and ‘Room at the Top’.
Since that fateful road trip, the band had experienced their fair share of turbulent times both as a group and in their personal lives – they ended an 11-year relationship with MCA to join Warner Bros, drummer Stan Lynch relinquished his position after 20 years behind the kit, and Petty was divorced from his wife of 22 years. It’s no wonder that Echo is drenched with tales of loneliness, reflection, and escape.
Displaying uncompromising faith and depth, Petty described the album as one of his most personal to date. In an interview that aired during the world premiere of Echo on SFX Radio Network from New York City – days before Petty and his heartbreakers were the musical guests on both Saturday Night Live and The Late Show With David Letterman – Petty commented: “It just kind of fell out of me…in retrospect, you look back at [the songs] and go, ‘Oh, I see what I was thinking’. But I think if I knew what I was thinking about [when I was writing them], I would have been too embarrassed to write them.”
Guitarist, bandmate, and co-writing partner Mike Campbell added: “When you look back on it later, sometimes you really see what the story was about more…”
The album confronts insecurities. ‘Counting on You’, for example, looks for solace in a world of uncertainties. When asked about the track, Petty answers with reserve: “That was a really insecure number there, trading your Eldorado for love.”
It’s perhaps unsurprising then to hear a minimalistic quality in the band’s approach to their instrumentation throughout the recording. Lyrics of vulnerability are supported by simple, straightforward, steady orchestration. Before going into the studio, Petty explained that he and the band were listening to The Doors “a lot“.
He added: “The album’s not anything like a Doors album, but what we admired about them was the use of space in the arrangements. It’s often the hole in the music – the air and the space around the instruments is so important. Like here in this album, I don’t think we ever use more than four or five, maybe six instruments. But it’s very big and present and that’s a result of space – so, we can thank The Doors for that.”
