KevDog wrote:

10:26 am - Tom Petty - Refugee
10:21 am - New Order - 60 MPH

Nice pairing there, Bill. "Refugee" is one of those songs that causes the speedometer needle to go well past "60 MPH."

I just watched a tape of TP and the Heartbreakers on Soundstage last night. Great show. Mike Campbell is an amazing guitarist. They did a lot of old blues tunes since they were in Chicago. Great show.

ScottN wrote: I agree who cares great tune! nice little sing-a-long.

Yes, straight from AOR and Clear Channel etc., but for some of us for whom RP is the primary broadcast source, it's a treat.
Great song. 8.

kazuma wrote:

Loses about 4 rating points because of severe and ongoing overplay everywhere else for the last 20 years.

Rating: 2

mojoman wrote:
Nah, he's too skinny. Must have been liquor and cigarettes.

He sings without polish, but also without an ounce of artifice. Straight from his redneck heart. And I love him for it.

Baby_M wrote:
And now here we are in the midst of the dark days of despair of the Bush administration, the semi-post-hip-hop era, the Energy Crisis, the war in Iraq, the days of overpowered SUVs that nobody can afford to fill with gas anymore. Visions of the Rapture fill the air.

Once again, this song explodes out of the radio. Only it's an old song, and not really one of Petty's best. So not quite the same effect. One of the few times I'm inclined to go along with the "play something else that hasn't been played to death on commercial radio" crowd. Almost.

Another alleged singer who squandered his singing-lessons money on Twinkies and Ho-Ho's.

It was the fall of 1978, during the Carter administration, the Disco Era, the Energy Crisis, the days of plaid and avocado green and platform shoes and underpowered cars with vinyl roof treatments and stand-up hood ornaments. Prophecies of doom filled the air.

In those dark days of despair, this piece just exploded out of the speakers of every stereo in the dorm, blew Kool & The Gang clean off the radio, and gave us hope for the future.

I think I liked Alvin and the Chipmunks' version better.

Still pretty good.

the worst Petty ever, and I like Petty. :(

not my favorite petty song, but i'm sad i'm not going to get to see him this tour

Excellent timing RP! I am going to a Tom Petty concert tonight in Ohio! This is always a staple.

To the ealier comments- this was a truly groundbreaking album. I have been a huge petty fan ever since and have seen him like 6 or 7 times.

Not everything jas been great, but overall it is a very impressive body of work- Not many bands are still big after nearly 30 years.

Some songs are made for the Strange amongst us. This particular one, for some of the Strange, was made stranger because it *made* the charts. It had particular smack for me as a weird orphan. refugee from my home; when I became a REAL refugee, it still had the power to speak to me -- musically, lyrically, emotionally. I love the spare and sparkling musical presentation that never goes overboard. Just tells it like it is ;) I love well evoked TUNES.

robinesque wrote:

I have to agree with this. I was too young at the time to appreciate the change that Mr. Petty brought to the game, but I can recall my brothers going crazy over this album and the departure from the mainstream that it represented. Godlike for certain.

I have to agree with Johray63 in that great overplayed songs are still great songs. It's been years since I've heard Stairway, Hey Jude, White Bird or Freebird for that matter... That's OK, but when I do hear one next I know my ears will be smiling bigtime.

I like it that you never know what you might hear next and that there isn't an overplay problem here at good 'ol RP.

The Bee Gees, Ween, Petty, Catherine Wheel, man Bill hits into all the fields and over the fence all day long.

Awsome radio!

While "The Heartbreakers" isn't as catchy a band name as, say, "The Lost Planet Airmen", it's at least better than "The Range", and they deserve to be in the song title along with Mr. Petty.

been a fan since i saw these guys live way back when in montezuma hall.

Perhaps in the context of pop radio this has been overplayed. But if you haven't listened to pop/classic rock for a while, this great song still sounds terrific. To fresh ears, this is an urgent, rocking tune.

When this song came out, nothing else on the radio sounded like this. This is Godlike.

Aren't we supposed not to listen to "regular radio" anymore? If so, we only listen to songs like this every once in a while, 'cause that's how often RP plays them.
Just often enough to make us (or at least me) aware of how great a classic like this in fact still is!

KevDog is dead-on; Tom Petty has been putting out great rock-and-roll for ever. So what if it's been played to death -- it's a geat song. Thanks, Bill.

I think the comments below reflect more on the tres hip pose of the poster than on the song. Anyway you slice it, this is a great song by one of rock's greatest writers and performers. Good songs deserve to be played often, and in any forum that appreciates good music. I'd rather hear this than some bland music from the next too-cool-for-the-room band. Thanks Bill.

Well, the title is fitting for today (as the RIAA crusade begins), we are radio refugees, but to actually listen to this song is another thing.

Don't.... have... to listen to this refugee.

how trite.

Bill, how could you! This has been played to death on mainstream radio. I guess you must really like this tune, but I can definitely do without it.