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.
Listen to Her Heart
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With your money and your cocaine
You keep thinkin' that her mind is gonna change
But I know everything is okay
She's gonna listen to her heart
It's gonna tell her what to do
She might need a lot of loving
You want me to think that I'm being used
You want her to think it's over
You can't see it doesn't matter what you do
Buddy, you don't even know her
She's gonna listen to her heart
It's gonna tell her what to do
She might need a lot of loving
But she don't need you
And you just can't creep up behind her
And you can't understand that she's my girl
She's my girl, aah
Yeah, she's gonna listen to her heart
It's gonna tell her what to do
She might need a lot of loving
But she don't need you, ooh
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers's song "Listen To Her Heart" talks about a woman who knows what she wants and won't be swayed by a man who thinks he can buy her love or change her mind. The man thinks that his money and cocaine can win her over, but the singer is confident that the woman will stay true to herself and listen to her heart. The song is a call for men to respect women and their choices, and not try to manipulate them into doing what they want.
The lyrics also tackle the issue of possessive behavior in relationships. The man who thinks he can take the woman away from her current partner cannot comprehend that she is not his property, and that she will make her own decisions. The singer emphasizes that the woman is "his girl" and nobody else's. The song encourages men to let women be themselves and make their own choices, rather than trying to control them.
Overall, "Listen To Her Heart" is a powerful message about respecting women's agency and autonomy in relationships. It is a call to men to listen to women, value their voices, and let them make their own choices.
Line by Line Meaning
You think you're gonna take her away
You believe that because you have money and cocaine, you can win her over and make her yours.
With your money and your cocaine
You think that your wealth and drug use will make you more attractive to her.
You keep thinkin' that her mind is gonna change
You mistakenly believe that she will eventually fall in love with you.
But I know everything is okay
Despite your attempts, she is happy with her current situation and is not interested in you.
She's gonna listen to her heart
She will follow her heart and make the decisions that are best for her.
It's gonna tell her what to do
Her heart will guide her in making the right choices for herself.
She might need a lot of loving
She may need affection and attention, but that doesn't mean she needs you specifically.
But she don't need you
Despite what you believe, she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself and does not need you to do it for her.
You want me to think that I'm being used
You want me to believe that she is using me, but that is not the case.
You want her to think it's over
You want her to believe that her current relationship is ending, but that is not your decision to make.
You can't see it doesn't matter what you do
Your actions do not affect her decisions or feelings towards you or her current partner.
Buddy, you don't even know her
You do not know her well enough to make assumptions or decisions on her behalf.
And you just can't creep up behind her
You cannot sneak up on her or manipulate her into being with you.
And you can't understand that she's my girl
You cannot accept that she is already in a committed relationship with someone else.
Yeah, she's gonna listen to her heart
Once again, she will follow her heart and make choices based on what is best for her.
But she don't need you, ooh
Regardless of what you believe, she does not require you to be happy, fulfilled or content.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Tom Petty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind