After working with his early bands The Sundowners, The Epics, and Mudcrutch (which also included future Heartbreakers members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench) he began his recording career with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers when the band broke onto the national music scene with their 1976 self-titled debut album. Still, it took America a full year to catch up to the album. "Breakdown" was re-released to radio and became a Top 40 hit in 1977 after word filtered back the band was creating a firestorm in England.
He was also a member of The Traveling Wilburys, along with George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison. Petty and the Heartbreakers also toured as a backing band for Bob Dylan.
Petty is a vocal critic of the modern recording industry, including the disintegration of independent radio stations.
Petty has been supported by his band, The Heartbreakers, for the majority of his career. He has occasionally released solo work, as is the case with his 2006 effort, Highway Companion, on which he performed most of the backing instrumentation himself. Examples of other solo albums include Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers
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.
A Face In The Crowd
Tom Petty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In another place, another town
You were just a face in the crowd
You were just a face in the crowd
Out in the street walking around
A face in the crowd
Out of a dream, out of the sky
And you were just a face in the crowd
You were just a face in the crowd
Out in the street, thinking out loud
A face in the crowd
Out of a dream, out of the sky
Into my heart, into my life
And you were just a face in the crowd
You were just a face in the crowd
Out in the street, walking around
A face in the crowd
Face in the crowd
A face in the crowd
A face in the crowd
The lyrics of Tom Petty's "A Face In The Crowd" talk about the power of love and how it can transform someone's life. The singer talks about how before he met his lover, she was just a regular person, lost in the sea of faces in a big city. She was just a face in the crowd, living her life without any significant impact. However, when they met, she became everything to him, changing his life forever.
The lyrics use imagery and metaphors to describe how the woman came into his life. He talks about how she descended from the sky into his heart and changed everything for him. The song lyrics suggest that the woman gave him a sense of purpose and direction in life, and she was the missing piece that he had been searching for.
Overall, "A Face In The Crowd" shows us how love can change everything, even the most insignificant things can become special when the right person comes along.
Line by Line Meaning
Before all of this ever went down
Before the events being referred to in the song took place
In another place, another town
At a different location
You were just a face in the crowd
You were an anonymous person among many others
You were just a face in the crowd
You were an anonymous person among many others
Out in the street walking around
Walking outside among other people
A face in the crowd
An anonymous person among many others
Out of a dream, out of the sky
Suddenly, unexpectedly
Into my heart, into my life
Having a significant impact on my emotional and daily life
And you were just a face in the crowd
Again emphasizing the previous anonymity of the person
You were just a face in the crowd
An anonymous person among many others
Out in the street, thinking out loud
Reflecting and expressing thoughts freely in a public setting
A face in the crowd
An anonymous person among many others
Out of a dream, out of the sky
Still emphasizing the sudden, unexpected way the person entered the singer's life
Into my heart, into my life
Their impact on the singer was profound
And you were just a face in the crowd
Once more stressing the previous anonymity of the person
You were just a face in the crowd
An anonymous person among many others
Out in the street, walking around
Still walking around in public
A face in the crowd
A symbol for the idea of being anonymous and unremarkable among many others
A face in the crowd
A symbol for the idea of being anonymous and unremarkable among many others
A face in the crowd
A symbol for the idea of being anonymous and unremarkable among many others
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind