The 20 Best Songs from Tom Petty

This legendary rocker never seemed to age, pushing good music out there well into his forties. It really caught many of us off guard when he passed away just shy of his 67th birthday.

I was never a fan of the stuff he put out in his early years back in the late 70s, but Petty sure picked up steam once Full Moon Fever came out in 1989.

For this list, I elected not to include his stuff with the Travelling Wilburys. Had I included Handle With Care or End of the Line, I figure both of those songs would slide in there above Free Fallin’. I’m a big fan!

I finished this list just prior to getting diagnosed with leukemia for the second time, and now that things have settled down in my treatments and I’m feeling pretty good right now, I figured I would post it.

Just off the list was the 1996 song Walls (Circus), the 1979 song Here Comes My Girl, and the 1977 tune Breakdown. Here are the Top 20, according to my tastes…

20. I Need To Know (1978)

19. Don’t Do Me Like That (1979)

18. American Girl (1977)

17. You Got Lucky (1982)

16. Jammin’ Me  (1987)

15. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around (1981)

14. Refugee (1979)

13. The Waiting (1981)

12. Kings Highway (1992)

11. Saving Grace (2006)

10. Don’t Come Around Here No More  (1985)

9. You Wreck Me  (1994)

8. Learning To Fly  (1991)

7. Into The Great Wide Open  (1991)

6. I Won’t Back Down  (1989)

Check out Ringo Starr on the drums, and two other members of the Travelling Wilburys singing background. Half the Beatles are here!

5. Yer so Bad (1990)

Underrated song. Virtually no radio play…

4. Runnin’ Down A Dream  (1989)

3. Free Fallin’  (1989)

2. Mary Jane’s Last Dance  (1993)

1. You Don’t Know How It Feels  (1994)

This playlist can be found on YouTube here.

Here is the list in chart form, my favorite tunes by Tom Petty:

1	You Don’t Know How It Feels	1994
2	Mary Jane’s Last Dance	1993
3	Free Fallin’	1989
4	Runnin’ Down A Dream	1989
5	Yer so Bad	1990
6	I Won’t Back Down	1989
7	Into The Great Wide Open	1991
8	Learning To Fly	1991
9	You Wreck Me	1994
10	Don’t Come Around Here No More	1985
11	Saving Grace	2006
12	Kings Highway	1992
13	The Waiting	1981
14	Refugee	1979
15	Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around	1981
16	Jammin’ Me	1987
17	You Got Lucky	1982
18	American Girl	1977
19	Don’t Do Me Like That	1979
20	I Need To Know	1978