American Girl - Music
American Girl by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Artist Biography For Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Was A Rock Band Formed In 1976 From Gainesville Florida USA And Led By Tom Petty. Petty Was Supported By His Band The Heartbreakers For The Majority Of His Career. He Has Occasionally Released Solo Work As Was The Case With His 2006 Album Highway Companion On Which He Performed Most Of The Backing Instrumentation Himself. However Members Of The Heartbreakers Have Played On Each Of His Solo Albums And The Band Has Always Backed Him When Touring In Support Of Those Albums. After The Petty's Previous Band Mudcrutch Disbanded Petty Never One To Give Up Enlisted Mudcrutch Members Tench Keyboards And Mike Campbell Guitar Along With Gainesville Musicians Ron Blair Bass And Stan Lynch Drums To Form The Now Famous Lineup That Was Dubbed Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. They Released Their First Album Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers In November 1976. In 2006 The Band Celebrated The 30th Anniversary Of That Release. This Lineup Stayed Intact For Four Records And Was Responsible For Some Of The Most Infectious Songs "American Girl" "Breakdown" "Listen To Her Heart" "Refugee" "I Need To Know" "Don't Do Me Like That" And One Of The Most Critically Acclaimed Albums "Damn The Torpedoes" Of All Time. Their Tremendous Success Catapulted Them From Club Band To Arena Rockers Seemingly Overnight. Bassist Blair Split The Band In 1982 And Was Replaced By Howie Epstein A Protege Of Seminal Rocker Del Shannon. Epstein's Solid Playing And Soaring Backing Vocals Further Complemented The Band's Live Attack. Without Missing A Beat They Headed Back Into The Studio To Record A String Of Successful Albums Including The Classic "Long After Dark". In 1994 Stan Lynch Left The Heartbreakers To Pursue Other Musical Challenges And Steve Ferrone Well Regarded For His Work With The Average White Band And Eric Clapton Soon Became The Heartbreakers' Chosen Drummer. Most Recently At A Time When Many Of Their Contemporaries Have Long Since Grown Complacent Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Have In 2002 Released One Of Their Finest And Most Controversial Efforts - Featuring Some Of Petty's Most Moving Songs. Recorded Both Before And Following The Group's 2002 Induction Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame "The Last DJ" Reflected Petty's Strong Views About The State Of The Music Business And The Culture Generally. With The Departure Of Howie Epstein "The Last DJ" Marked Another Notable Return After Two Decades Away Founding Heartbreaker Ron Blair Returned To The Band's Rhythm Section. In 2010 The Heartbreakers Released The Well Received Album "Mojo". Petty Died On 2 October 2017 Following A Cardiac Episode Earlier That Day At His Home In Malibu California. Although Some Media Outlets Incorrectly Reported His Death Following An Erroneous Police Report His Death Was Confirmed Later That Day By His Publicist And Manager.
Frogtoon Music - Song Info: American Girl
Tom-Petty-And-The-Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits
"American Girl" Is The Second Single From Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers' Self-Titled Debut Album. The Single Did Not Chart In The U.S. But In The UK It Peaked At #40 The Week Ending August 27 1977. Due To Lyrics Mentioning Cars Rolling By "out On 441" And A Desperate Girl On A Balcony The Song Was Rumored To Have Been Written About A Girl Who Committed Suicide By Jumping From The Beaty Towers Dormitory At The University Of Florida In Gainesville Florida Where Tom Petty Grew Up. U.S. Route 441 Runs Along The University Campus Right Beside Beaty Towers. Carl Van Ness The University Of Florida's Official Historian Believes That A Student Committed Suicide By Jumping From One Of The Beaty Towers During The Late '60s Or Early '70s When Tom Petty Still Lived In Gainesville. However The Dorm Does Not Have Balconies. When Asked Directly About The Story In The Book Conversations With Tom Petty Petty Responded Urban Legend. It's Become A Huge Urban Myth Down In Florida. That's Just Not At All True. The Song Has Nothing To Do With That. But That Story Really Gets Around... They've Really Got The Whole Story. I've Even Seen Magazine Articles About That Story. 'Is It True Or Isn't It True?' They Could Have Just Called Me And Found Out It Wasn't True. In The Same Interview Petty Says That He Wrote The Song While Living In California I Don't Remember Exactly. I Was Living In An Apartment Where I Was Right By The Freeway. And The Cars Would Go By. In Encino Near Leon Russell's House. And I Remember Thinking That That Sounded Like The Ocean To Me. That Was My Ocean. My Malibu. Where I Heard The Waves Crash But It Was Just The Cars Going By. I Think That Must Have Inspired The Lyric. The Opening Lines "Well She Was An American Girl Raised On Promises" May Have Been Influenced By A Similar Line From Francis Ford Coppola's Directorial Debut "Dementia 13" A 1963 Horror Flick Set In Ireland In Which The Character Louise Haloran Played By Luana Anders Has The Line "The Mood Around This Place Isn't Good For Her. Especially An American Girl. You Can Tell She's Been Raised On Promises."
Heartbreakers Guitarist Mike Campbell Told Songfacts About American Girl "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."
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Biography - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Was A Rock Band Formed In 1976 From Gainesville Florida USA And Led By Tom Petty. Petty Was Supported By His Band The Heartbreakers For The Majority Of His Career. He Has Occasionally Released Solo Work As Was The Case With His 2006 Album Highway Companion On Which He Performed Most Of The Backing Instrumentation Himself. However Members Of The Heartbreakers Have Played On Each Of His Solo Albums And The Band Has Always Backed Him When Touring In Support Of Those Albums. After The Petty's Previous Band Mudcrutch Disbanded Petty Never One To Give Up Enlisted Mudcrutch Members Tench Keyboards And Mike Campbell Guitar Along With Gainesville Musicians Ron Blair Bass And Stan Lynch Drums To Form The Now Famous Lineup That Was Dubbed Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. They Released Their First Album Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers In November 1976. In 2006 The Band Celebrated The 30th Anniversary Of That Release. This Lineup Stayed Intact For Four Records And Was Responsible For Some Of The Most Infectious Songs "American Girl" "Breakdown" "Listen To Her Heart" "Refugee" "I Need To Know" "Don't Do Me Like That" And One Of The Most Critically Acclaimed Albums "Damn The Torpedoes" Of All Time. Their Tremendous Success Catapulted Them From Club Band To Arena Rockers Seemingly Overnight. Bassist Blair Split The Band In 1982 And Was Replaced By Howie Epstein A Protege Of Seminal Rocker Del Shannon. Epstein's Solid Playing And Soaring Backing Vocals Further Complemented The Band's Live Attack. Without Missing A Beat They Headed Back Into The Studio To Record A String Of Successful Albums Including The Classic "Long After Dark". In 1994 Stan Lynch Left The Heartbreakers To Pursue Other Musical Challenges And Steve Ferrone Well Regarded For His Work With The Average White Band And Eric Clapton Soon Became The Heartbreakers' Chosen Drummer. Most Recently At A Time When Many Of Their Contemporaries Have Long Since Grown Complacent Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Have In 2002 Released One Of Their Finest And Most Controversial Efforts - Featuring Some Of Petty's Most Moving Songs. Recorded Both Before And Following The Group's 2002 Induction Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame "The Last DJ" Reflected Petty's Strong Views About The State Of The Music Business And The Culture Generally. With The Departure Of Howie Epstein "The Last DJ" Marked Another Notable Return After Two Decades Away Founding Heartbreaker Ron Blair Returned To The Band's Rhythm Section. In 2010 The Heartbreakers Released The Well Received Album "Mojo". Petty Died On 2 October 2017 Following A Cardiac Episode Earlier That Day At His Home In Malibu California. Although Some Media Outlets Incorrectly Reported His Death Following An Erroneous Police Report His Death Was Confirmed Later That Day By His Publicist And Manager.
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"American Girl" is the second single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' self-titled debut album. The single did not chart in the U.S., but in the UK it peaked at #40 the week ending August 27, 1977.
Due to lyrics mentioning cars rolling by "out on 441" and a desperate girl on a balcony, the song was rumored to have been written about a girl who committed suicide by jumping from the Beaty Towers dormitory at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where Tom Petty grew up. (U.S. Route 441 runs along the university campus right beside Beaty Towers.)
Carl Van Ness, the University of Florida's official historian, believes that a student committed suicide by jumping from one of the Beaty Towers during the late '60s or early '70s, when Tom Petty still lived in Gainesville. However, the dorm does not have balconies.
When asked directly about the story in the book Conversations With Tom Petty, Petty responded:
Urban legend. It's become a huge urban myth down in Florida. That's just not at all true. The song has nothing to do with that. But that story really gets around... They've really got the whole story. I've even seen magazine articles about that story. 'Is it true or isn't it true?' They could have just called me and found out it wasn't true.
In the same interview, Petty says that he wrote the song while living in California:
I don't remember exactly. I was living in an apartment where I was right by the freeway. And the cars would go by. In Encino, near Leon Russell's house. And I remember thinking that that sounded like the ocean to me. That was my ocean. My Malibu. Where I heard the waves crash, but it was just the cars going by. I think that must have inspired the lyric.
The opening lines, "Well she was an American Girl, Raised on promises" may have been influenced by a similar line from Francis Ford Coppola's directorial debut, "Dementia 13", a 1963 horror flick set in Ireland in which the character Louise Haloran, played by Luana Anders, has the line, "The mood around this place isn't good for her. Especially an American girl. You can tell she's been raised on promises."
Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell told Songfacts about American Girl: "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." Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.