I adore this: "Sometimes I cant believe this song even exists. It just touches something deep in my soul that it's hard to believe someone wrote it." Thank you for that atomickiwi.
It was about him. It's about him wanting to escape from an extremely abusive father. It's about him running away but too afraid to get too far from home.
I worked at ABC TV at the time and was able to get backstage for this performance. I was standing stage left when Bruce Springsteen came and stood next to me on my right, and then Little Steven came and stood next to Bruce. The 3 of us stood there watching the band rock out, I was blessed.
@@BrianBall-b1w the top neck is 12 string and the bottom is 6. You can see him play the 12 string on the verses and chorus and it sounds great. He switches to the 6 string on the staccato parts.
How far ahead did they film the show? This episode aired on June 6 1980 and Springsteen's European tour started on 19 March and finished 8 June. Given how topical a lot of the sketches were, I'd always assumed the lag time between filming and airing would have been a lot shorter than that.
God bless America and God save The Queen, sir. As was once stated, and reaffirmed, Americans and Englishmen are two peoples separated by a common language! Proud to be an English/American.
I saw Tom Petty in Concert more than once. He is one of the Greatest American artists of all time!!! This song is my Anthem. I Am an American Girl and very Proud to be one!!! God Bless America....Forever!!!
yes me also. I always liked his music growing up. I must have liked it a lot more than I thought because I got very emotional when I heard of his passing.
This was evidently also lead guitarist Mike Campbell's favorite Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song to play with the band. That makes me happy for some reason.
1:58 - 2:07 That part gives me goosebumps and is what makes Tom Petty such a bad ass! The way he puts every ounce of his soul into singing that part is LEGENDARY!!! TOM PETTY ROCKS!
Building my life back up at 53 years old, after giving a lot of myself away to others. This is my song now!! Thank you Tom Petty! Now it's time I live my true self and embrass it!! I've given a lot to the wrong causes and it almost wiped off this planet. Not anymore! I raised three wonderful free-spirited children who are truly living life! They are my inspiration! Thank you my loves for teaching me lessons now!! No more betting on the wrong guy! I'm going live my life like the American girl I am!! No more conforming to the belief of the promises I was raised on!
Fridays, Saturday Night Live, Dick Clark, American Bandstand, Midnight Special, Wolfman Jack and Tom Petty.... rest in peace. It was a special time and we loved you all for it.
Funny how it took me 37 years to realize how amazing Tom Petty's band and voice was. I used to watch Fridays back then. How sad he is gone. What a loss.
Amazing- and it was absolutely "LIVE",....so rare these days. Even live performances have a lot of "safety nets" in this present age of music ( "music" - I use the term loosely). This was back when bands spent years - years! - as unknowns , other than on a tour circuit of dives and bars...honing the craft, building the experience of how to handle a crowd , what to do in the case of a "emergency" (i.e. amp won't work, string breaks,... singing with the flu , playing with a hangover or recovering from bad food on the road etc... ) . Really, really miss those simple days - we didn't realize how great we all had it.
What a great version! That double neck Rickenbacker is (was) a beaut too. Tough day today, with all the Petty tunes running through my head. But that's his lasting tribute. RIP Tom.
My understanding is that the extra six tuners on a Rickenbacker 12-string point to the back, and I think I can see them peaking out on head of the top half that he primarily plays here. I can't make out the number of strings given the lighting and video quality. It would make sense for him to play rhythm on the 12-string through most of the song and then switch to 6-string for a little soloing during the break, as he seems to so, since 12-strings are primarily for strumming and hard to play individual stings on. I know Petty was a 12-string aficionado so a 12/6 seems like something he would go for (all the benefits of playing a 12-string, with easy switching to 6-string), But it would also make sense to just want a different tuning for that part so it certainly could be a 6/6.
@@benjaminolson7206 I think the model is a Rickenbacker 362-12 Jetglo. It was the rounded horn 360 model. The 2 denotes the double neck and the 12 denotes the 12 string and 6 string combination.
I totally remember this time period. 1979. There was also a show on TV called Fridays. I was only 10 or 11 but in that pre-teen area where you start listening to the radio and paying attention and understanding life a little more adult like than when you are 7. The Pirates won the series and we are family was their theme song, roller skating was HUGE and America seemed good like there was a buzz in the air. I delivered newspapers on my bike every day, including Sunday, when they were heavy as hell. Shortly after this time you had the hostage sitch, then Steve Mcqueen died and later John Lennon was shot by an idiot, late 1980, and then Reagan early 1981. Delivering the paper I saw the daily headline and it sure seemed like everything went from great in 1979, to a lot of negative in 1980.
Man, Tom and the Heartbreakers were so young and full of fire ! Not many bands can pull off what they did over the past 40 years. WE LOVE TOM PETTY !!!! RIP Tom
I was born un 86 and i cant believe we are so blessed to have this tech to watch these timeless musicians! .it sounds so amazing. All the greats have come and gone. This is real American music! And i love it!! Amazing chemistry they had.
My God, how I love this song. Love the passion and the intensity with which Tom always sang it. Just watch and listen right about the 2:00 minute mark. He's AWESOME. I love this young, shaggy haired, lanky, skinny legged guy and his Heartbreakers band. Wow.....I'd kill to go back in time and be able to re-live all of these moments in person once again.... Sometimes it's hard for me to watch a performance like this on UA-cam and then immediately watch a recent performance from his 40th anniversary tour on UA-cam. We all grow old, that's a given. And maybe it's because I'm getting to that age that I'm feeling this way. But I just like to thInk of Tom Petty as timeless.....as never growing old. When I close my eyes and hear him singing this song, I think of him back from late 70's, early 80's. Just at the start of his career. A young rock n roller with endless energy and such grit and intensity in his voice. Maybe that's how he is right now, once again.....
Same here. I love the TPHB best up to the Hard Promises LP. There was an edge to Tom's voice. Whatever emotion the song called for, he put it in there; angst, tenderness, anger, hurt, fun, freedom. He carried the whole range.And he floated and twirled on stage, arms out, his interactions with the guys, and especially Stan were like a conductor and his orchestra. Tom moved and Stan's drums were the punctuation. I grew to appreciate his later music too, though. The bluesy soul that went into songs like Have Love Will Travel, Swinging, Saving Grace, Square One, Southern Accents, Rebels, Wildflowers, Crawling Back to You... those all fit his mature voice very well. What always amazes me is the sheer volume of great music the man came up with. Even the silly iguana song: ua-cam.com/video/vgyaImW1hdg/v-deo.html
After watching the making of wildflowers documentary, I can’t help but be grateful to live in a time when we could appreciate Tom & The Heartbreakers & ALL of the wonder they shared with us! You will forever be in my heart ❤️🌼🎩🎤🎸🌻🎹🎧🎼🌸❤️
Its a strange thing to know someone has gone when watching a video like this they look so full of life.... great song by a truly great musician. RIP Tom
The opening line lyric "raised on promises" echoes a line of dialogue in Francis Ford Coppola's 1963 film, Dementia 13. Referring to another woman, the character Louise says (at minute 17), "Especially an American girl. You can tell she's been raised on promises".
I can only hope that Tom knew how truly beloved he was by so many...it's a darker, colder, sadder world without him. God it's so painful someone so close...and forever out of reach...RIP TP
This Is Why I Love Rock And Roll Period Long live tom petty, mike, benmont, ron, stan and rip howie. Thanks to these guys for helping me throughout my adult life.
Me too and I’m 15 , I made it a goal in 2016 when I turned 18 that I was gonna see Tom petty live who whouldve known he was gonna pass away the next year 😢 RIP legend
Mario Verber hey dude, I know I'm doing the same. I have been driving around for most of the day in this conservative/tweeker town just east of Phoenix blasting all my Petty/Heartbreakers/Willburys' tunes,,,, Not even one thumbs up! But that's ok, I am grieving and shedding tears for myself and feeling the better for it.
Rodney Foster Spotify put out a 51 song list. I listened to it and heard tunes I had not heard in decades. I was reminded of moments from my teenage years on which Tom Petty's music was the soundtrack. Your tears were not alone my friend. He's in a better place now
Thanx mario & d doyle. I am just sitting around on this fine Saturday morning, reflecting. My thoughts and feeling's,,,all over the place. For me, just in the recent past, Glenn Frey & Tom Petty, almost a crushing blow to me ! I am truly grateful that they left their music which, in both cases, WILL survive the test of time ! thanx again guys... -Who would've ever thought that B. Dylan might survive them ALL !
RIP Tom....love at the end when they show the crowd, everyone is sitting down and clapping furiously....and of course, no cell phones in everyone's hand blocking the view.
3:22 to 3:55 is my fav part of lead. My band plays this tune every weekend and I play that riff, The whole lead is nice but that part I like is harder to play....rock on!
Mike Campbell is one of the most underrated guitarist in rock history. He proved that you didn't need to play loud, fast or too many notes to be great. Just awesome.
I had the honor to see Tom and the HB several times in Cleveland. One of my favorites. Amazingly, this song wasn't a big hit, initially. It just grew and grew over the years to become one of the most recognized songs in rock history. I passed up the opportunity to see them in June of 2017 and regret it so.
Damn! "American Girl" might be my favorite song ever! Put this one in a time capsule and shoot it into space. This is Rock & Roll and never got any better after this. Tom is completely rockin' every note out of that double neck, while Mike wields those riffs and licks like a swordmaster. Benmont's keys are soaring while the rhythm section holds down the tightest back beat since Mitch Ryder. When they start building towards the crescendo at 2:17 it is R&R bliss here on earth.
Loved this song..stopped me in my tracks when first heard it on the radio in UK in late 70s...its the greatest song The Byrds never did!..I met Tom Petty in the mid 80s with Roger McGuin and Bob Dylan..out of the three of them Tom was a really nice, warm bloke..Roger was ok but a bit distant..Dylon was on another planet
I used to own a house in Gainesville Florida. Tom Petty used for rehearsal, around the time of mudcrutch. some of the boys from the Eagles were involved. On a side note, The "Gainesville green" was worthy of its reputation LOL.
One of the best concerts I’ve ever been to was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He sounded better live. I was a mild fan but after that concert I was hooked! RIP TOM PETTY ❤
I believe that Tom Petty was shocked himself at the absolute magnificence of this song. I am 70 years old now. I remember the first time I heard it. I am still in shock. It’s almost hard to believe this level of brilliance.
I was never really a big Tom Petty fan, but this is a great performance of a great song. The version on Midnight Special is slightly different, but just as good.
Man! they just do not make music like this any more you know live stuff ,where they are really singing and playing the music, no lip sync, to some cd they made. Tom Petty & the Heart Breakers are awesome no doubt about it , my fav, live for sure Bless Ya do well and carry on brothers & sisters Rob
@@cmur7256 compact disc they came out right after cassette tapes, but that was a long time ago , in the movie The Wedding singer they do a funny intro for a C.D. player it was new to the world, 1985.
idk man i like how mike campbell plays and how he looks at tom petty reminds of the scene in Walk the Line when johnny first sings folsom prison blues and the guitarist has to come up with a solo and looks at johnny like "i got this"
Sometimes I cant believe this song even exists. It just touches something deep in my soul that it's hard to believe someone wrote it.
I adore this: "Sometimes I cant believe this song even exists. It just touches something deep in my soul that it's hard to believe someone wrote it." Thank you for that atomickiwi.
Same. Every time I hear it.
THE best Tom Petty song, and that’s a big call. He has so many best songs.
Sweet comment
It was about him. It's about him wanting to escape from an extremely abusive father. It's about him running away but too afraid to get too far from home.
I worked at ABC TV at the time and was able to get backstage for this performance.
I was standing stage left when Bruce Springsteen came and stood next to me on my right, and then Little Steven came and stood next to Bruce.
The 3 of us stood there watching the band rock out, I was blessed.
But why the fuck the double neck guitar?
@@BrianBall-b1w cocaine
@@BrianBall-b1w the top neck is 12 string and the bottom is 6. You can see him play the 12 string on the verses and chorus and it sounds great. He switches to the 6 string on the staccato parts.
@@BrianBall-b1w Felder taught him to play guitar and also played a double on Hotel California, so Tom wanted one ;-)
How far ahead did they film the show? This episode aired on June 6 1980 and Springsteen's European tour started on 19 March and finished 8 June. Given how topical a lot of the sketches were, I'd always assumed the lag time between filming and airing would have been a lot shorter than that.
As a 62 yr old English geezer who loves the states, this brings back so many memories...God bless Tom Petty and the USA xx
We love you ♥️
Awww! And we Yanks love the UK for all the gifts she has given us like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and so many more.
God bless America and God save The Queen, sir. As was once stated, and reaffirmed, Americans and Englishmen are two peoples separated by a common language! Proud to be an English/American.
Best thing we did was break away. Second best was to remain friends.
Long live the UK.
I heard this song in a bar in Boston the young lad nailed it 👌 love visiting the states but getting very expensive lately 😢 Tommy Liverpool England
I love the smile he gives to the drummer at the end. They nailed it. They know it. They rock. Thanks for the memories Tom Petty ❤️
À
Thanks for pointing that out! Totally right!
that drummer is Stan "the man" Lynch the HeartBeat of the HeartBreakers!
@@jiballar1Yes, you're so right! Stan gave us 19 years as a Heartbreaker but I wish he had never left. Great drummer!
I saw Tom Petty in Concert more than once. He is one of the Greatest American artists of all time!!! This song is my Anthem. I Am an American Girl and very Proud to be one!!! God Bless America....Forever!!!
I love him from his very first song and then some.
The most anticipated bass guitar notes in all of rock and roll.
The chain
You mean that his bass line is standard ?
LOL, Ron Blairs shyness to let it rip is palpable . Luv this band, so modest and so tight and good thru the years.
@@mikeymike16 I mean that once you fall in love with this song, you can't wait to hear those opening bass guitar notes kick in ... here at 0:23.
LOL, I play this on bass in our band and i always have to restrain myself from starting the bass early.
R.I.P Tom Petty 😭😭😭😭
We lost a legend
There will never be another like him.
Feels like I lost a friend
You did. we all did. RIP Tom!
That was the power of Tom. He wrote songs for us - about us. AND they absolutely rocked. ❤️🍎🎼🍺🥃🌿🎸
he was America's best friend
yes me also. I always liked his music growing up. I must have liked it a lot more than I thought
because I got very emotional when I heard of his passing.
@@jmm1817 s0 d0 I He was als0 a great family man 2
I saw this on the original broadcast of the show back then. To this day I still think it's the best performance of the song I've ever heard.
Saw it too... and agree.
Yep. Awesome vocal
I prefer the version from The Old Grey Whistle Test
I recorded it on VHS when this show hit the airways. Can't tell you how many times I've watched it over the years.
When was this recorded, do you remember? Really great performance. Heartbreakers are all smiling. So great. RIP Tom.
I miss your music Tom. There will never be another to match your talent.
This was evidently also lead guitarist Mike Campbell's favorite Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song to play with the band. That makes me happy for some reason.
I love Mike such a humble cool dude. never overplayed added just the right amount of spices to Toms songs
People rarely talk about how cool of a bass player Ron Blair was/is.
This may one of the perfect songs. Great band at the peak of their powers.
1:58 - 2:07 That part gives me goosebumps and is what makes Tom Petty such a bad ass! The way he puts every ounce of his soul into singing that part is LEGENDARY!!! TOM PETTY ROCKS!
kronz4200 amen
It kills me now to hear him hit that part. He was so full of soul.
Fuck yeah and I'm glad somebody said this.
If you're from Gainesville like me, you patiently await "hearing cars rolling down 441 like waves crashing on the beach" !!
That part always hits me in my feels man
Building my life back up at 53 years old, after giving a lot of myself away to others. This is my song now!! Thank you Tom Petty! Now it's time I live my true self and embrass it!! I've given a lot to the wrong causes and it almost wiped off this planet. Not anymore! I raised three wonderful free-spirited children who are truly living life! They are my inspiration! Thank you my loves for teaching me lessons now!! No more betting on the wrong guy! I'm going live my life like the American girl I am!! No more conforming to the belief of the promises I was raised on!
I just read your post. I hope all you wanted has come true, American Girl.
Fridays, Saturday Night Live, Dick Clark, American Bandstand, Midnight Special, Wolfman Jack and Tom Petty.... rest in peace. It was a special time and we loved you all for it.
Tight performance. One of the greatest American groups of all time.
Funny how it took me 37 years to realize how amazing Tom Petty's band and voice was. I used to watch Fridays back then. How sad he is gone. What a loss.
Amazing- and it was absolutely "LIVE",....so rare these days. Even live performances have a lot of "safety nets" in this present age of music ( "music" - I use the term loosely). This was back when bands spent years - years! - as unknowns , other than on a tour circuit of dives and bars...honing the craft, building the experience of how to handle a crowd , what to do in the case of a "emergency" (i.e. amp won't work, string breaks,... singing with the flu , playing with a hangover or recovering from bad food on the road etc... ) . Really, really miss those simple days - we didn't realize how great we all had it.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I'll always remember how much I loved watching this movie with my kids....
What a great version! That double neck Rickenbacker is (was) a beaut too. Tough day today, with all the Petty tunes running through my head. But that's his lasting tribute. RIP Tom.
Yeah, and as a guitar player, I'm trying to figure out if it's a 12/6 or a 6/6 with different tunings. Cool axe!
My understanding is that the extra six tuners on a Rickenbacker 12-string point to the back, and I think I can see them peaking out on head of the top half that he primarily plays here. I can't make out the number of strings given the lighting and video quality. It would make sense for him to play rhythm on the 12-string through most of the song and then switch to 6-string for a little soloing during the break, as he seems to so, since 12-strings are primarily for strumming and hard to play individual stings on. I know Petty was a 12-string aficionado so a 12/6 seems like something he would go for (all the benefits of playing a 12-string, with easy switching to 6-string), But it would also make sense to just want a different tuning for that part so it certainly could be a 6/6.
@@benjaminolson7206 I think the model is a Rickenbacker 362-12 Jetglo. It was the rounded horn 360 model. The 2 denotes the double neck and the 12 denotes the 12 string and 6 string combination.
Did he need the double neck? I only noticed him playing the top neck.
40 years later and this performance still gave me goosebumps...from a video...with marginal speakers. Great song + serious intent = timeless art.
I totally remember this time period. 1979. There was also a show on TV called Fridays. I was only 10 or 11 but in that pre-teen area where you start listening to the radio and paying attention and understanding life a little more adult like than when you are 7. The Pirates won the series and we are family was their theme song, roller skating was HUGE and America seemed good like there was a buzz in the air. I delivered newspapers on my bike every day, including Sunday, when they were heavy as hell. Shortly after this time you had the hostage sitch, then Steve Mcqueen died and later John Lennon was shot by an idiot, late 1980, and then Reagan early 1981. Delivering the paper I saw the daily headline and it sure seemed like everything went from great in 1979, to a lot of negative in 1980.
I was also the s as me age
Man, Tom and the Heartbreakers were so young and full of fire ! Not many bands can pull off what they did over the past 40 years. WE LOVE TOM PETTY !!!! RIP Tom
we miss you man, thanks for the tunes
Thank you so much Tom. You’ve helped me get through so many depressing times. God Bless, RIP
I was lucky enough to see him live a couple of times before he passed. Best concerts ever. RIP Tom, and thanks for the memories. ❤🙏
When you’re driving around Gainesville FL and this comes on local radio… it still hits 🥺💔💯
I was born un 86 and i cant believe we are so blessed to have this tech to watch these timeless musicians! .it sounds so amazing. All the greats have come and gone. This is real American music! And i love it!! Amazing chemistry they had.
My God, how I love this song. Love the passion and the intensity with which Tom always sang it. Just watch and listen right about the 2:00 minute mark. He's AWESOME. I love this young, shaggy haired, lanky, skinny legged guy and his Heartbreakers band. Wow.....I'd kill to go back in time and be able to re-live all of these moments in person once again.... Sometimes it's hard for me to watch a performance like this on UA-cam and then immediately watch a recent performance from his 40th anniversary tour on UA-cam. We all grow old, that's a given. And maybe it's because I'm getting to that age that I'm feeling this way. But I just like to thInk of Tom Petty as timeless.....as never growing old. When I close my eyes and hear him singing this song, I think of him back from late 70's, early 80's. Just at the start of his career. A young rock n roller with endless energy and such grit and intensity in his voice. Maybe that's how he is right now, once again.....
Same here. I love the TPHB best up to the Hard Promises LP. There was an edge to Tom's voice. Whatever emotion the song called for, he put it in there; angst, tenderness, anger, hurt, fun, freedom. He carried the whole range.And he floated and twirled on stage, arms out, his interactions with the guys, and especially Stan were like a conductor and his orchestra. Tom moved and Stan's drums were the punctuation.
I grew to appreciate his later music too, though. The bluesy soul that went into songs like Have Love Will Travel, Swinging, Saving Grace, Square One, Southern Accents, Rebels, Wildflowers, Crawling Back to You... those all fit his mature voice very well.
What always amazes me is the sheer volume of great music the man came up with. Even the silly iguana song: ua-cam.com/video/vgyaImW1hdg/v-deo.html
Something really special about this song. A solid rocker from start to finish.
After watching the making of wildflowers documentary, I can’t help but be grateful to live in a time when we could appreciate Tom & The Heartbreakers & ALL of the wonder they shared with us!
You will forever be in my heart ❤️🌼🎩🎤🎸🌻🎹🎧🎼🌸❤️
Its a strange thing to know someone has gone when watching a video like this they look so full of life.... great song by a truly great musician. RIP Tom
Tom Petty's music makes me tear up now whenever I listen. Such an underrated musician and stunning musical composer. His death was an incredible loss.
The opening line lyric "raised on promises" echoes a line of dialogue in Francis Ford Coppola's 1963 film, Dementia 13. Referring to another woman, the character Louise says (at minute 17), "Especially an American girl. You can tell she's been raised on promises".
I can only hope that Tom knew how truly beloved he was by so many...it's a darker, colder, sadder world without him. God it's so painful someone so close...and forever out of reach...RIP TP
Look at his eyes. He is so freaking high but still nails this song to perfection. That's what sets rockers like Tom Petty apart from all the rest.
who cares how high he was sometimes that's what i takes to survive
@@Dia31na or not survive,,,that was his demise
When you play a song enough, it becomes muscle memory
great song. was playing it yesterday when i was in the shower, and today he's gone. as Kirby Puckett said, tomorrow isn't promised to anyone....
Tom's voice is so exceptional here, boy is on top of his game 😍😍 always a babe
Love love love 💕
Love Tom Petty Band Member Grave ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Amazing performance. And I love the smile Tom gives to the drummer at the end. Class
This
Is
Why
I
Love
Rock
And
Roll
Period
Long live tom petty, mike, benmont, ron, stan and rip howie.
Thanks to these guys for helping me throughout my adult life.
Love Tom Petty Band Member Grave
Timeless! Keeps on going "like waves crashin' on the beach". 😁 What a perfect song by a super talented group of musicians.
I still can not believe I live in a world without Tom Petty.
Me too and I’m 15 , I made it a goal in 2016 when I turned 18 that I was gonna see Tom petty live who whouldve known he was gonna pass away the next year 😢 RIP legend
Great song, great band !!!
I'm taking a moment off work to listen to Tom Petty in this sad, sad day. Rest in Peace dude.
Mario Verber
hey dude, I know I'm doing the same. I have been driving around for most of the day in this
conservative/tweeker town just east of Phoenix blasting all my Petty/Heartbreakers/Willburys' tunes,,,,
Not even one thumbs up! But that's ok, I am grieving and shedding tears for myself and feeling the better for it.
Rodney Foster Spotify put out a 51 song list. I listened to it and heard tunes I had not heard in decades. I was reminded of moments from my teenage years on which Tom Petty's music was the soundtrack. Your tears were not alone my friend.
He's in a better place now
+Rodney Foster.. here's two thumbs up for you dude from Southern Cal rock on man 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanx mario & d doyle. I am just sitting around on this fine Saturday morning, reflecting.
My thoughts and feeling's,,,all over the place.
For me, just in the recent past, Glenn Frey & Tom Petty, almost a crushing blow to me !
I am truly grateful that they left their music which, in both cases, WILL survive the test of time !
thanx again guys...
-Who would've ever thought that B. Dylan might survive them ALL !
OMG ! I just knew that I was forgetting another who's recently past and one of my all time greats,
Glen Campbell...
RIP Tom....love at the end when they show the crowd, everyone is sitting down and clapping furiously....and of course, no cell phones in everyone's hand blocking the view.
Robert Rudd what I time to be alive
i always thought this is like one of the coolest songs you hear in movies, but never know the title. this is a super cool song. super~
This song gets me so emotional every time I hear it. Was bawling when it was on Scrubs
FROM 3:42 TIL 3:52 IS ALL ANYONE EVER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT GUITAR PLAYING AND WHILE MIKE CAMPBELL IS AMAZING
3:22 to 3:55 is my fav part of lead. My band plays this tune every weekend and I play that riff, The whole lead is nice but that part I like is harder to play....rock on!
Pretty much. That banjo role is trick.
Mike Campbell is one of the most underrated guitarist in rock history. He proved that you didn't need to play loud, fast or too many notes to be great. Just awesome.
Live this song ! Everything about it, seeing them play this is a great.
To this day everytime I hear this song I can't help thinking of "Silence of the lambs", Great tune!
We love you, Tom. RIP and thanks for the best songs ever.
8/7/22 MY LOVE FOR ALL KINDS OF MUSIC BROUGHT ME HERE TODAY!!!
More than a great rock and roll performance, an invaluable historical document!
RIP Tom I want to TY for your Music that had a Huge part In my life!
I had the honor to see Tom and the HB several times in Cleveland. One of my favorites.
Amazingly, this song wasn't a big hit, initially. It just grew and grew over the years to become one of the most recognized songs in rock history.
I passed up the opportunity to see them in June of 2017 and regret it so.
I knew them then, never forgotten, always amazed. Glad I was alive when he was. Special person, high quality, talent up the gazoo! Miss ya bro!
Damn! "American Girl" might be my favorite song ever!
Put this one in a time capsule and shoot it into space. This is Rock & Roll and never got any better after this.
Tom is completely rockin' every note out of that double neck, while Mike wields those riffs and licks like a swordmaster.
Benmont's keys are soaring while the rhythm section holds down the tightest back beat since Mitch Ryder.
When they start building towards the crescendo at 2:17 it is R&R bliss here on earth.
Always loved this song...thanks for the great music Tom.
Saw him on the great wide-open tour.
One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen.
After living in Gainesville, hearing ‘out on 441’ makes it personal.
I used to make the drive from Ormond Beach to Gainesville often, know 441 very well!
Oh yes it does!
@@crisprtalk6963 my husband and I would start singing this whenever we hit "ol 441".....here in the SUNSHINE state....
🎶🎸😎🎩💘
Miss him AND Tom!
Lake County Fl.
441 for me
I can never forgive myself for not seeing them live when I had many opportunities.
So missed!!!
Mike and tom, and Benmont, legends!
Loved this song..stopped me in my tracks when first heard it on the radio in UK in late 70s...its the greatest song The Byrds never did!..I met Tom Petty in the mid 80s with Roger McGuin and Bob Dylan..out of the three of them Tom was a really nice, warm bloke..Roger was ok but a bit distant..Dylon was on another planet
I used to own a house in Gainesville Florida. Tom Petty used for rehearsal, around the time of mudcrutch. some of the boys from the Eagles were involved. On a side note, The "Gainesville green" was worthy of its reputation LOL.
I've been there on 441 in Gainesville. I guess if you lived on the 4th floor of that building it would sound like waves crashing.
My FAVE American r&r band of all time….what a catalog!
One of the best concerts I’ve ever been to was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He sounded better live. I was a mild fan but after that concert I was hooked! RIP TOM PETTY ❤
The soundtrack of our youth for those of us that grew up in the 70’s/80’s. Total Americana! RIP TP.
The little look between Tom and Mike at 2:57 like "how great is this song and how great is our band"
The double guitar!!!
Happy Heavenly Birthday Tom! Miss you brother! ❤️
This is one of my all-time favorite and most relatable songs . I love Tom Petty!!!
Always one of my favorite Petty Songs!
Such a long time ago
Wait!!! at 1:40 it looks like someone is filming with an iphone. What type of prototype was that?
Crazy part there weren’t any cellphones at the time.
I loved his music he was soulful a genius made me happy and glad to be alive
What a gift to the world of rock n roll. Rest in peace and thank you Tom Petty!
I believe that Tom Petty was shocked himself at the absolute magnificence of this song. I am 70 years old now. I remember the first time I heard it. I am still in shock. It’s almost hard to believe this level of brilliance.
really good song from these guys ,
time passes fast , live it up now.
RIP Tom. Thanks for all of the great music.
love the drumming
Stan Lynch is the man!
The best version of the band! Collectively, they had the most swing.
There will never be a band quite like that. I loved 'em so much - all the best to Mike and the guys
I was never really a big Tom Petty fan, but this is a great performance of a great song. The version on Midnight Special is slightly different, but just as good.
Love this song love Toms voice 😢
Man I love this song! Just classic
my god how I love his music
I met Tom Petty in 1978 and got his autograph. He told me he wrote American Girl on the 4th of July! 🇺🇸
I know they recorded on 4th of July.
I know it was recorded July 4th 1976
The best live version of this song on UA-cam.
My daughter lives in New Zealand, became a citizen there and married a Kiwi. I had this song played at their wedding -
I'll always remember 2017 as the year Tom Petty died. And then I'll remember how happy his music made me feel. RIP~
Man! they just do not make music like this any more you know live stuff ,where they are really singing and playing the music, no lip sync, to some cd they made. Tom Petty & the Heart Breakers are awesome no doubt about it , my fav, live for sure Bless Ya do well and carry on brothers & sisters Rob
What’s a cd
@@cmur7256 compact disc they came out right after cassette tapes, but that was a long time ago , in the movie The Wedding singer they do a funny intro for a C.D. player it was new to the world, 1985.
Fridays was the best late night comedy show, and Tom and the band were great here, Thanks forever for the memories Tom... RIP.
Tom Petty made my life better listening and going to his concerts with my sisters!
idk man i like how mike campbell plays and how he looks at tom petty
reminds of the scene in Walk the Line when johnny first sings folsom prison blues
and the guitarist has to come up with a solo and looks at johnny like "i got this"
2021,So miss him!@!
Loved it when released and love it even more in 2021..
♥️ this song!!
(The best shirt he ever wore, in my view 😘)