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Vote for the GOAT: Adam 12’s Tom Petty Top 5

Be it Tom Petty‘s solo work, or Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, it was all under consideration for my latest Vote for the GOAT Top 5 list. Remember, Top 5…

Be it Tom Petty's solo work, or Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, it was all under consideration for my latest Vote for the GOAT Top 5 list.

Remember, Top 5 lists for all 14 bands you voted on are here. And my growing list of Top 5 lists are over here. But let's focus on Mr. Petty. As I've done for pretty much all of these lists (with the exception of STP), I didn't overthink it. I just went with my gut and jotted down the first songs that came to mind. So let's take a look. First, your Top 5 Tom Petty tunes:

Vote for the GOAT – Tom Petty

5) Mary Jane’s Last Dance

4) Don’t Come Around Here No More

3) Runnin’ Down a Dream

2) American Girl

1) Free Fallin’

Now, my Top 5 Tom Petty tunes:

5) Shady Grove - Am I cheating here? Absolutely not! Tom Petty wrote "Shady Grove" with his band Mudcrutch. This song holds a special place in my heart because whenever I get together to play guitar with my dad and my brother, we play it. We even sing 3-part harmony!

4) Learning To Fly - Love the riff, love the video, love whistling along with the end, especially when I play this one on my show.

3) Breakdown - Maybe my favorite vocal performance in any Petty song. So. Damn. Smooth.

2) Refugee - I was going to put "You Got Lucky" in this slot, then I remembered the riff from "Refugee" and I was like: Nope. This one's gotta be on the list.

1) A Face In The Crowd - I don't think there's an album I listened to more in Junior High than Full Moon Fever. It was a staple on every family vacation we took from 1989 through around 1992. It's an absolute classic, strong from the first track through the last, and this one's my favorite. I can't hear it and not imagine myself gazing out the back window of my dad's '82 GMC Jimmy as we drove north on 93 into New Hampshire.

adam12Writer
Adam 12 is the Program Director of Boston's ROCK 92.9, heard weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. He's been flexing his encyclopedic rock knowledge in New England for over 2 decades, both on-air and online, at WBCN, WFNX, Boston.com, and indie617. At ROCK 92.9, he keeps you in the know on the big stories from the Boston music scene and writes about great places to eat, drink (beer), and to spend time outdoors in and around Boston.