American Girl - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (cover)
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- Опубліковано 25 тра 2023
- A track from the first Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album, "American Girl" was never a hit, but it became one of their most popular songs. Part of its lasting appeal is its intrigue, as it is the subject of an urban myth that reads as follows:
The University of Florida is located in Petty's hometown of Gainesville, Florida. A dorm at the school, Beatty Towers, provided the backdrop to a popular urban legend at UF as well as the story behind this song. The story was that there was this virginal, All-American, debutante sort of girl, blonde locks and all, who decided to take hallucinogens for the first time while in her room at Beatty Towers.
This being the 1960's and the age of limitless possibilities, it was pretty common to do something like that, especially in a college setting. Apparently, the girl thought she could fly, so she exited through the window and arrived face first on the concrete below. Some modern minstrels like to add that she jumped from the 13th floor, but this is probably part of campus lore. This incident was a big deal in Gainesville, which was still a picturesque Southern college town. It represented the end of innocence experienced by baby-boomers during the 1970's.
Using it as inspiration, Tom Petty wove a captivating and poignant song based on this story for his first album and the rest is history. Expanding on the concept of innocence lost, this song speaks volumes and resonates even today. Beatty Towers are by State Road 441, which is mentioned in the second verse.
Tom Petty said of this song: "I wrote that in a little apartment I had in Encino. It was right next to the freeway and the cars sometimes sounded like waves from the ocean, which is why there's the line about the waves crashing on the beach. The words just came tumbling out very quickly - and it was the start of writing about people who are longing for something else in life, something better than they have."
Mike Campbell has been The Heartbreakers' guitarist since they formed the band. Here's what he told us about this song: "We used to have people come up to us and tell us they thought it was about suicide because of the one line about 'if she had to die,' but what they didn't get was, the whole line is 'if she had to die trying.' Some people take it literally and out of context. To me it's just a really beautiful love song. It does have some Florida imagery."
In our interview with Mike Campbell, he said: "We cut that track on the 4th of July. I don't know if that had anything to do with Tom writing it about an American girl."
American Girl
Well, she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn't help thinkin' that there
Was a little more to life
Somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
Yeah, and if she had to die
Tryin’, She, had one little promise
She was gonna keep
Oh yeah, alright, take it easy baby
Make it last all night
She was, an American girl
Well, it was kind of cold that night
She stood alone on her balcony
Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by
Out on 441
Like a waves crashin' on the beach
And for one desperate moment there
He crept back in her memory
God it's so painful, when something that's so close
Is still so far out of reach
Oh yeah, alright, take it easy baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl, oooh!
Ohh huh huh! Ooh, ooh, ooh Oh yeah
¡Wow Bravo!
Sabéis qué tenéis una buena canción incluso la interpretación musical y la guitarra está formidable ❤
tom petty couldnt have done it better, sick cover
Ah man, you’re the greatest. I’m always here for rancid, Ramones and “Because You’re Young” type of stuff. I’ve been playing this for a few years and knew you’d mix the guitars and play the live bit. I’ll finish the solo on my own. Thanks, you’re an inspiration.
cheers Bobby! 👊🏻🍺
RIP Tom Petty
also i dont know if you do requests but can you do a peter pumpkin head cover?
lol
You fly the flag for all us other working stiffs who carve out a space for rock guitar stardom in our basements.
born to rock forced to work 😢😅