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.
Too Good To Be True
Tom Petty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Could this really happen to me?
She could barely hold back the tears
It was too good to be true
It was too good to be true
It was too good to be true
Everything that she'd dared to dream
Suddenly was outside her door
It was too good to be true
It was too good to be true
It was too good to be true
There was no talk of giving in
And just as hope was wearing thin
Her eyes were like a child again
Too good to be true
Morning on the outskirts of town
Sitting in the traffic alone
You don't know what it means to be free
It was too good to be true
In this song, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers tell the story of a woman whose wildest dreams are about to come true. She can hardly believe her luck and is struggling to contain her emotions as she imagines what it would be like for everything she's ever wanted to finally be hers. As her dreams start to materialize, she slowly begins to realize that this is all too good to be true, and she finds herself overcome with disbelief and doubt. Nevertheless, she perseveres, and just as she begins to lose hope, she is suddenly filled with childlike wonder and excitement again.
The lyrics in this song reflect the universal experience of having hopes and dreams that seem too good to ever come true. It speaks to the human capacity to hold on to what we believe in even when the odds are against us. Despite the challenges and setbacks we may face, we can still find moments of magic and wonder that make life worth living.
Line by Line Meaning
Her imagination ran wild
She let her mind run free with thoughts and ideas
Could this really happen to me?
She wondered if this experience was really possible for her
She could barely hold back the tears
The emotions were overwhelming and difficult to control
It was too good to be true
The situation was so perfect, it seemed impossible to actually be real
Everything that she'd waited for
All of her hopes and desires had been leading up to this moment
Everything that she'd dared to dream
She had imagined and envisioned this experience as something beyond her reach
Suddenly was outside her door
The thing she had been waiting for had finally come to her
There was no talk of giving in
She was determined to make this experience last
And just as hope was wearing thin
She had been losing faith that this moment would ever come
Her eyes were like a child again
Her excitement and wonder made her feel young and innocent
Too good to be true
Once again, the experience seemed too perfect and unlikely to be real
Morning on the outskirts of town
The start of a new day in a rural area away from the city
Sitting in the traffic alone
Stuck in a traffic jam by herself
You don't know what it means to be free
Feeling trapped and restricted, unable to experience true freedom
It was too good to be true
Once again, the impossible situation seemed too perfect to be real
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: TOM PETTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind