If you live above ground, you have surely heard that Tom Petty, the legendary singer-songwriter, has passed away after going into cardiac arrest, at the age of 66.
Last year was a rough one for music lovers, with the death of Prince and David Bowie, but this news hit me ten times harder.
Prince and Bowie were born to be stars and they created so much incredible art unmatched by virtually anybody else, but Petty was one of the greatest songwriters ever to live. Being the lyrical nerd I am, my heart ached when my dad called me to give me the news.
My first thought was "Damn, I’ll never get to see 'Mary Jane’s Last Dance' live."
Petty’s death immediately followed the end of his 40th anniversary tour with The Heartbreakers. I had desperately wanted to see a show, but being a broke college kid that split her summer between an unpaid internship and a minimum wage job, it just wasn’t in the cards.
My second thought was something to the effect of, one of the few great songwriters left on earth is gone. Sure, we still have Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and the disbanded members of Fleetwood Mac, but that doesn’t make this loss any less devastating.
Petty was special in many ways, but it was his storytelling that always stood out to me. He made ordinary things sound extraordinary.
There’s a reason that when you are listening to his greatest hits, every song is a classic. He knew who he was, he knew his audience and he knew how to write a hit.
Whether he was writing about love or lighting one up, there was an eloquence that was always evident in his work.
It was no accident that he got so far; Petty’s simplistic yet thought-provoking writing style earned him a name as one of the greats.
“She’s a good girl, loves her mama/loves Jesus and America too/she’s a good girl, crazy ‘bout Elvis/loves horses, and her boyfriend too... And I’m a bad boy, ‘cause I don’t even miss her/ I’m a bad boy, for breaking her heart,” Petty sings in “Free Falling”, a track that would go on to become one of the most iconic songs of all time.
Now every time I hear “American Girl” or “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” there’s a melancholy tint to it. Sixty-six is too young to die in the age of modern medicine.
Maybe Petty was ready to go; he lived a fuller life than most of us ever will. But selfishly, I can’t help but wish he were still here.
Halle Weber is a sophomore studying journalism with a focus in news and information at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you miss Tom Petty? Let Halle know by tweeting at her @HalleWeber13.
