{"id":2620715,"date":"2026-06-29T06:24:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T10:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bop-along-to-tom-petty-and-the-heartbreakers-at-50\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T06:26:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T10:26:40","slug":"bop-along-to-tom-petty-and-the-heartbreakers-at-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bop-along-to-tom-petty-and-the-heartbreakers-at-50\/","title":{"rendered":"Bop along to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at 50"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbop-along-to-tom-petty-and-the-heartbreakers-at-50%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2620715&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article celebrates the 250th anniversary of America and highlights a related milestone in American music-the 50th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Notably, their iconic song \u201cAmerican Girl\u201d was recorded on July 4, 1976, symbolically linking their music to the nation&#8217;s birthday.Despite initial modest success, songs like \u201cBreakdown\u201d and \u201cAmerican Girl\u201d have become enduring classics, with Petty&#8217;s music heavily played on radio and featured in public life. The band\u2019s longevity is attributed to their consistent quality, musical versatility, and ability to evolve while staying rooted in rock. Petty&#8217;s influence extended beyond his band,helping resurrect Roy Orbison\u2019s career and bridging the gap between classic and modern rock. Known for his songwriting and lyricism, Petty\u2019s work remains deeply ingrained in American culture. Despite personal and professional challenges, the band\u2019s legacy endures as a symbol of American resilience and musical authenticity.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">America <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/america-250\/\">turns 250 this year<\/a>. That\u2019s not exactly <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/news\/\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/huge-breaking-news-in-georgia-132000-ballots-in-fulton-county-georgia-have-been-identified-which-are-likely-ineligible\/\" title=\"HUGE BREAKING NEWS IN GEORGIA - 132,000 Ballots in Fulton County, Georgia Have Been Identified Which Are Likely Ineligible\">breaking news<\/a><\/a>, but 2026 also marks a momentous anniversary for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/music\/\">American music<\/a> \u2014 the 50th anniversary of<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/magazine\/2128148\/remembering-tom-petty\/\"> Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers<\/a>. It might seem presumptuous to connect a rock band to such a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/american-history\/\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mind-the-generation-gap\/\" title=\"Beware of the Generation Gap.\">major historical event<\/a><\/a>, but there is one bit of Tom Petty lore that makes the connection explicit. \u201cAmerican Girl\u201d \u2014 an unlikely anthem with a bittersweet lyric and a Bo Diddley beat, and arguably the band\u2019s most iconic song \u2014 was recorded on July 4, 1976. The band had only two weeks in the studio to record their debut album, which came out just four months later, so the timing is just as likely a happy coincidence as it was intentional.  <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4628101\/naomi-lim-save-act-wont-help-republicans-win-in-november\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Naomi Lim: SAVE Act \u2018won\u2019t help Republicans win in November\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4625038\/what-to-know-july-4th-celebration-dc\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>What to know about the July Fourth celebrations in DC<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4627743\/bill-maher-presses-vance-trump-election-fraud-claims\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Bill Maher presses Vance over Trump\u2019s election fraud claims: \u2018That s*** has to stop\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Half-a-century later, few artists are as embedded in the American cultural experience as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They are America\u2019s most agreed-upon band. The Eagles remain the biggest-selling American musical act, but the running joke in <em>The Big Lebowski <\/em>about hating the Eagles, well, landed because there really are a lot of people who hate the Eagles. Many people might take the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for granted, but virtually no one actively dislikes them. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, \u201cagreeableness\u201d is a hard thing to quantify. It is fair to say their initial success was the result of a genuine grassroots appeal. Their first record contract was hard-won after years of gigging in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\">Florida<\/a> roadhouses and college bars, but the band received little promotional support once the record was done. The first single off their 1976 debut, \u201cBreakdown,\u201d flopped on release. It was rereleased after some extensive touring more than a year later, peaking at number 40 on the <em>Billboard<\/em> Hot 100. The record\u2019s second single, \u201cAmerican Girl,\u201d <em>never even charted<\/em>. And yet, over time, both songs became more beloved and enduring than a great many No. 1 hits that have since come and gone. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ironically, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/radio\/\">radio<\/a> might be the one area where their popularity is vindicated. When Petty died in October 2017 at age 66, it was reported that an astonishing 1 out of every 40 songs played on classic rock radio was by Tom Petty. That\u2019s more radio play than AC\/DC, Queen, or even the Beatles, and all of those acts\u2019 record sales outstripped Petty by multiples. Whether at a sports stadium or in the grocery store, if you\u2019ve been anywhere near a speaker playing music in public, you\u2019re aware that the band\u2019s popularity isn\u2019t diminishing any time soon. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\">Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in Hollywood, circa 1977. (Aaron Rapoport\/Corbis\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/06\/localimages\/LA.Culture.070126.jpg?w=696&#8243; height=&#8221;658&#8243; width=&#8221;1024&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in Hollywood, circa 1977. (Aaron Rapoport\/Corbis\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Part of the reason for the band\u2019s ubiquity is their sheer endurance and consistency: they started great and stayed great. Their first record in \u201976 produced two iconic songs, but Petty was still cranking out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/these-dozen-disney-plus-alternatives-offer-families-options-but-is-it-enough\/\" title=\"These Dozen Disney Plus Alternatives Offer Families Options. But Is It Enough?\">bona fide hits<\/a> such as \u201cYou Don\u2019t Know How It Feels\u201d and \u201cWalls (Circus),\u201d into the mid-90s. Twenty years is an astonishingly long time for a pop music act to be consistently producing hits. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, Petty\u2019s most successful record, the solo album <em>Full Moon Fever<\/em>, came 13 years after his debut with the Heartbreakers, and its follow-up (with the band), 1991\u2019s <em>Into the Great Wide Open,<\/em> was also a monster record that produced some of the band\u2019s biggest hits. In the young man\u2019s game of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rock-and-roll\/\">rock and roll<\/a>, it\u2019s unheard of for a band to be writing some of their best songs and reaching their commercial pinnacle in their 40s. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their success over time also means that the band\u2019s catalog is far deeper than the hits most casual fans know. If you\u2019ve never heard \u201cIt\u2019s Good to Be King,\u201d \u201cStraight Into Darkness,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019ll All Work Out,\u201d \u201cSouthern Accents, or \u201cRoom at the Top,\u201d you\u2019re missing out. That goes double for their live recordings. The version of \u201cLearning to Fly\u201d on their live anthology is pure magic. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Part of the reason for their enduring success is the band\u2019s remarkable ability to synthesize an incredible array of influences while not radically deviating from their roots-rock formula. Petty did hundreds of shows on the band\u2019s satellite radio station before his death. The show was called <em>Buried Treasure<\/em>, and his knowledge of, and affection for, obscure blues and rock acts such as Koko Taylor and the Spencer Davis Group could shame the most ardent music fans. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, Petty and the Heartbreakers\u2019 musical vision was never stuck in the past. The band was even tagged as \u201cnew wave\u201d after the success of \u201cDon\u2019t Come Around Here No More,\u201d a song built around a melodically recursive sitar hook and slick production by the Eurythmics\u2019 Dave Stewart. If that weren\u2019t adventurous enough, guitarist Mike Campbell is on record as saying he was inspired to write the iconic riff that kicks off \u201cRunnin\u2019 Down A Dream\u201d after seeing alternative glam rockers Jane\u2019s Addiction. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fact that they endured for so long and were more stylistically nimble than most of their contemporaries means that Petty and the Heartbreakers effectively served as the bridge between classic and modern rock. In fact, one of the first public appearances by Nirvana drummer (and soon-to-be Foo Fighters frontman) Dave Grohl after Kurt Cobain\u2019s death by suicide was when Grohl showed up unannounced behind the kit on their 1994 <em>Saturday Night Live<\/em> appearance. It\u2019s hard to imagine any other classic rock act engendering the approval of anti-corporate rock, Gen-X Nirvana fans in that moment, but it was a big sign that the music world would recover from the loss of a generational talent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The band gave back at least as much to rock and roll as they took from it. Nowhere is this more evident than in what Petty did for Roy Orbison. When Petty formed the Traveling Wilburys in 1988 \u2014 the supergroup with Petty, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Electric Light Orchestra\u2019s Jeff Lynne, and Orbison \u2014 Orbison was the only one of those superstars whose career had significantly fallen off. The Wilburys\u2019 success probably would have resurrected Orbison all on its own, but for Petty and Lynne, Orbison deserved even more. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So Petty and Lynne put together a whole Orbison record, <em>Mystery Girl<\/em>, to showcase his incredible voice. Petty cowrote the hit single \u201cYou Got It,\u201d and the album features songwriting contributions from such major talents as U2, Elvis Costello, and T-Bone Burnett. Tragically, Orbison died in December of 1988, just weeks after the record was finished, but he got the send-off he deserved: He was the first artist since Elvis to die with two albums in the top five (<em>Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 <\/em>was the other one). <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s easy to see why Petty would resent someone with Orbison\u2019s natural talent being overlooked. Unlike Orbison, Petty\u2019s innate talent as a singer is almost nonexistent; his voice is best described as a nasally yawp, and saying his range is a little better than Bob Dylan\u2019s would be both accurate and damning him with faint praise. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, like Dylan, Petty\u2019s diligence and intellectual capacities more than make up for his shortcomings. Petty\u2019s cadence and phrasing are near-perfect, and he\u2019s one of rock and roll\u2019s great lyricists, with an unmatched ability to write lines that are both instantly evocative and universal enough for listeners from all walks of life. The lines that grab you, particularly the immortal \u201cshe was an American girl, raised on promises,\u201d are downright literary in quality. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A word must also be said for the understated talents of guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench, Petty\u2019s hometown pals and the only two constant members of the Heartbreakers. There\u2019s a case to be made that they\u2019re the greatest sidemen in rock history. Both were rarely flashy; they were just preternaturally talented men who never failed to play whatever part would perfectly serve the song at hand. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3912553\/christmas-comes-early-beatles-completist-anthology-4\/\">CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY FOR THE BEATLES COMPLETIST <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s true that their story is not without some ugliness. Petty himself could be a remarkably difficult person, and there were <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >requisite rock star problems<\/a>. Drugs ultimately claimed the lives of bassist Howie Epstein and Petty himself. It\u2019s also regrettable to say the rumors that the band swiped the riff for \u201cMary Jane\u2019s Last Dance\u201d from \u201cWaiting For The Sun,\u201d by the underappreciated alt-country band the Jayhawks, are quite believable. But relative to other rock legends, it\u2019s hard not to appreciate that the band never let drama overwhelm their art. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was the most American of bands: Southern underdogs who achieved greatness in Los Angeles; musicians who revered their past influences, but never stopped trying to make music that spoke to the present. The greatest measure of the Heartbreakers\u2019 success might simply be that the opening jangle of\u00a0 \u201cAmerican Girl\u201d will be inescapable during July 4th this semiquincentennial year. And on this special occasion, when we most need unity to triumph over polarization, most of us will bop along \u2014 and no one will complain. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Mark Hemingway is a senior writer at <\/em>RealClearInvestigations <em>and the books editor at <\/em>The Federalist.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>America\u2019s 250th &amp; Tom Petty\u2019s 50th anniversary link<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":274,"featured_media":2620716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/LA.Culture.070126.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[81875,81873,81874,81872],"class_list":["post-2620715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-50th-anniversary","tag-heartbreakers","tag-rock-classics","tag-tom-petty"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/LA.Culture.070126.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/274"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2620715"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2620719,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620715\/revisions\/2620719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2620716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2620715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2620715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2620715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}