Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Released: November 9, 1976

Songwriter: Tom Petty Mike W. Campbell

Producer: Denny Cordell

Some friends of mine and me stayed up all through the night
Rocking pretty steady till the sky went light
And didn't go to bed
Didn't go to work
I picked up the telephone
Told the boss he was a jerk
Your mama don't like it when you run around
With me
But we got to hip your mama
That you got to live free
Don't need her. Don't need school
You don't like your daddy and you don't like rules

So, come on baby let's go
Don't you hear the rock 'n' roll playing on the radio
Sound so right?
Girl your better grab hold
Everybody's got to know
Anything that's rock 'n' roll's fine [x2]

Oh oo oh my little baby
I'm a little bit shaking
I'm a little bit crazy
But I know what I want
I want to it right now
While the electric guitars are playing way up loud

(Chorus)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – an L.A.-based gang of sharp-dressed garage-rock refugees from Gainsville, Florida – released their debut LP in November 1976, featuring two tracks which are now part of their long list of hits, “Breakdown” and “American Girl.”

Since that first LP in ‘76, the band’s style has epitomized and largely defined the American “heartland rock” movement – a vintage-guitar twang, hard lyric truth, and searing vocal attitude.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have been nominated for 17 Grammy awards and sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all-time.

more tracks from the album

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

From the albums

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976)
Voices (Selections from the Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1979)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Greatest Hits (1993) (1993)
Playback (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) (1995)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers popular songs

Anything That’s Rock ‘N’ RollTom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers