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.
Too Good to Be True
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Lyrics
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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
The lyrics of "Too Good to Be True" by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers are about a woman who has been waiting for something good to happen for a long time. When it finally does, she is overwhelmed with joy and disbelief. She can't believe that everything she has been waiting for has suddenly come true. She is moved to tears by the sheer magnitude of her good fortune. The chorus of the song repeats the line "it was too good to be true" as a sort of mantra to remind her that her happiness may not last forever. Despite this, she decides to hold on to hope and not give up, even when things seem bleak.
The song is a commentary on the highs and lows of life, and how things can change in an instant. It's a reminder that we need to appreciate the good times and hold on to hope during the bad times. Petty's poetic lyrics and the music's driving beat create a sense of urgency and excitement that matches the feeling of the woman in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Her imagination ran wild
She got extremely excited and started imagining all the possibilities
Could this really happen to me?
She felt amazed and questioned if it could all happen to her
She could barely hold back the tears
She was overwhelmed with emotions that she couldn't help but cry
It was too good to be true
She realized that what was happening was too perfect to actually be real
Everything that she'd waited for
She got everything that she had always wanted
Everything that she'd dared to dream
She even got the things she thought were impossible to achieve before
Suddenly was outside her door
Everything she ever wanted was right there at her doorstep
There was no talk of giving in
She didn't give up hope or her achievements even in the face of obstacles
And just as hope was wearing thin
Though she faced hopelessness, her courage pushed her ahead
Her eyes were like a child again
She got filled with innocence and excitement like a child seeing the world for the first time
Too good to be true
She realized that everything was just too perfect to be true
Morning on the outskirts of town
It was morning outside of town
Sitting in the traffic alone
She was alone, stuck in traffic
You don't know what it means to be free
She felt trapped and not completely free
It was too good to be true
It was just too perfect to be true for her situation
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: TOM PETTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind