Crawling back to Tom Petty: remembering a great

On October 2, 2017, the world lost Tom Petty; typing these words out one year later, this simple fact of life still shocks me now as much as it did the day I found out about his death. Whether it was his work as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, a solo artist, the Traveling Wilburys, or Mudcrutch, he never ceased to unleash his troubled soul into his music. This soul of his, in all its unique glory, inspired a more honest kind of rock n’ roll that insisted less on guitar solos and more on communicating the pain’s of a broken down man. And although he may no longer be walking among us, his spirit has found its way inside modern musicians. To remember the late Tom Petty, I think it best to take a brief look at his influence in music today.

Why is it that rock music sounds the way it does right now? The Kings of Leon frontman, Caleb Followill, said: “Tom Petty was the first album I ever bought with my own money…I’ve been listening to him ever since, so I know there’s a huge influence on me.” This is no coincidence; Tom Petty’s style has imprinted itself so deeply into rock culture that it is almost inescapable now. Mainstream rock music, for the most part, follows the Tom Petty formula: less flashy guitar solos, far more melodic hooks, and many more personal stories being told. This is not to say musicians now are copying him. Rather, in the same way Bob Dylan’s music influenced artists decades after him, Tom Petty’s music is (and has been for some time) heavily influencing the lives of many modern rockstars. Keep this in mind and re-listen to some of the 21st century’s most well-known rock bands: Cage the Elephant, The Strokes, The War on Drugs, and so on. Without Tom Petty, it would be difficult to imagine any of their music sounding the same.

Finally, though Tom Petty’s career spanned much more than just through the 80s (1976-2016), he constantly reminded us, the listeners, of life’s vulnerabilities in a time dominated by a more superficial music culture conquered by pop’s glorious image and upbeat demeanor (namely, the 80s). He grounded us when it was easiest to lose track of life’s fragility; but he never let us fall on our own. Whenever we fell, he would come falling right down with us.

Wherever he may be now, be it Heaven, Hell, somewhere in the middle, or literally just 6 feet underground, I would like to think that his soul is still fighting, not for himself, but the way it has always fought, for the people.

Thank you Tom Petty.

Written by Shayan Shirkhodai