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The Billboard Review
Originally reviewed for week ending 11/3/79
Petty debuts on the Backstreet label with nine fresh urgently sounding rockers,
all containing invigorating melodies and layered textures. Petty's sound at times
is reminiscent of the Byrds, an obvious influence, yet also manages to forge his
own identifiable sound. Petty plays 12 and six-string guitars, harmonica and
carries the lead vocals in his own commanding way. Musical support comes
from his band consisting of Benmont Tench, keyboards; Mike Campbell, guitar;
Stan Lynch, drums and Ron Blair, bass. A thoroughly satisfying effort that should
greatly expand the audience that Petty established with his first two albums.
Best cuts: "Don't Do Me Like That," "Here Comes My Girl," "Even The Losers,"
"You Tell Me." Dealers: Expect immediate radio acceptance on this eagerly
awaited release.
November, 1979 Album was released in U.S. on vinyl, 8-track tape and cassette
November, 1979 Album was released in the U.K.
1981 Album was released in U.S. on vinyl on MCA Records label
1985 Album was released in U.S. on CD on MCA Records label
1990 Album was released on 24 kt Gold Plated CD (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab)
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers History Damn The Torpedoes Before & After
1979
May 23rd - Tom Petty files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy therefore making the Shelter contract null and void.
The problems began when Shelter was bought by MCA. MCA claimed that TP owes MCA $575,000.
This could only be paid if Tom cut another 6 albums under MCA. A compromise is made
under MCA runned Backstreet Records.
July - Short tour of California dubbed "Why MCA?/The Lawsuit Tour". Setlist: "When The Time Comes", "Anything That's Rock 'N Roll",
"Fooled Again", "I Need To Know", "Wild One Forever", "Listen To Her Heart",
"Here Comes My Girl", "Even The Losers", "Cry To Me", "American Girl", "Strangered In The Night",
"Too Much Ain't Enough" and "Shout". The Encore consisted of "Dog On The Run", "I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)", "Anyway You Want It" and "Route 66".
September - The band performs during the MUSE (Musician's United For Safe Energy)
concerts at Madison Square Garden in NY. A 3-album set is later released with the band playing "Cry To Me".
Radio stations in LA & Philadelphia obtain copies prior to the official release and begin playing Damn The Torpedoes generating one of the most immediate and sensational
responses in radio history.
We got somethin', we both know it,
We don't talk too much about it.
Yeah it ain't no real big secret,
But somehow, we get around it.
It don't really matter to me baby,
You believe what you want to believe,
You don't have to live like a refugee.
Somewhere, somehow,
Somebody must have kicked you around some.
Who knows why you wanna lay there and revel in your abandon.
It don't make no difference to me, baby,
Everybody's had to fight to be free,
You see you don't have to live like a refugee.
Baby, we ain't the first.
I'm sure a lot of other lovers been burned.
Right now this seems real to you,
But it's one of those things you gotta feel to be true.
Somewhere, somehow,
Somebody must have kicked you around some.
Who knows? Maybe you were kidnapped,
Tied up, taken away, and held for ransom.
It don't really matter to me, baby,
Everybody's had to fight to be free,
You see you don't have to live like a refugee.
You know sometimes, I don't know why,
But this old town seems so hopeless.
Yeah, I ain't really sure, but it seems I remember the good times
Were just a little bit more in focus.
But when she puts her arms around me
I can somehow rise above it.
Yeah, man when I got that little girl standin' right by my side,
You know, I can tell the whole wide world to shove it, hey!
Here comes my girl. Here comes my girl.
Yeah, and she looks so right, she is all I need tonight.
Every now and then I down to the end of the day
And I have to stop and ask myself why I've done it.
It just seems so useless to have to work so hard
And nothin' ever really seems to come from it.
But then she looks me in the eye and says,
"We're gonna last forever."
And man, you know I can't begin to doubt it.
No, 'cause it just feels so good and so free and so right.
I know we ain't never goin' to change our minds about it - hey!
Here comes my girl. Here comes my girl.
Yeah, and she looks so right, she is all I need tonight. (Watch her walk.)
Every time it seems like there ain't nothin' left no more,
I find myself having to reach out and grab hold of something.
Yeah, I just catch myself waiting, wondering, worrying
About some silly little things that don't add up to nothin'.
But then she looks me in the eye and says,
"We're gonna last forever."
And man, you know I can't begin to doubt it.
No, 'cause it just feels so good and so free and so right.
I know we ain't never gonna' to change our minds about it - hey!
Here comes my girl. Here comes my girl.
Yeah, and she looks so right, she is all I need tonight.
It was nearly summer, we sat on your roof,
Yeah, we smoked cigarettes and we stared at the moon,
I showed you stars you never could see.
It couldn't been that easy to forget about me.
Time meant nothing, anything seemed real.
Yeah, you kissed like fire and you made me feel
Like every word you said was meant to be.
It couldn't been that easy to forget about me.
Baby, even the losers, get lucky sometimes.
Baby, even the losers, keep a little bit of pride, they get lucky sometimes.
Two cars park on the overpass, rocks hit the water like broken glass.
I shoulda known right then it was too good to last,
God, it's such a drag to have to live in the past.
Baby, even the losers, get lucky sometimes.
Even the losers, keep a little bit of pride, they get lucky sometimes.
There goes my baby, there goes my only one.
I think she loves me, but she don't wanna let on.
Yeah, she likes to keep me guessin',
She's got me on the fence with that little bit of mystery,
She's a complex kid and she's always been so hard to figure out.
Yeah, she always likes to leave me with a shadow of a doubt.
Sometimes at night I wait around 'til she gets off.
She don't like workin', she says she hates her boss,
But she's got me askin' questions, she's got me on the fence
With that little certain something, she's a complex kid,
And she's always been so hard to get around.
She always likes to leave me with a shadow of a doubt.
Just a shadow of a doubt, she says it keeps me runnin'.
I'm trying to figure out if she's leadin' up to something
And when she's dreamin', sometimes she sings in French,
But in the morning, she don't remember it.
But she's got me thinking 'bout it,
Yeah, she's got me on the fence
With that little bit of mystery, she's a complex kid,
And she's always been so hard to live without.
Yeah, she always likes to leave me, with a shadow of a doubt.
Sometimes I wanna leave here,
Sometimes I wanna go right back where I came from,
Back where I belong.
But it never lasts for too long, it always goes away.
And I still don't look for reasons,
That's much too hard these days.
Why worry 'bout the rain?
Why worry 'bout the thunder?
Century City's got everything covered.
Well, your mama gave you lovin',
Mama held you near,
Now mama can't do nothin'
Baby, mama just ain't here.
And you can pretend all you want to do,
But that won't work no more.
And you can't run back to daddy
You tried that once before.
But why worry 'bout your daddy?
Why worry 'bout your mother?
Century City's got everything covered.
We're gonna live in Century City,
Go ahead and give in (Century City) like modern men,
And modern girls, we're gonna live in the modern world.
Sometimes I get discouraged,
Sometimes I feel so down,
Sometimes I get so worried,
And I don't know what about.
But it works out in the long run,
It always goes away,
I've come now to accept it
As a reoccurring phase.
Why worry 'bout the rain?
Why worry 'bout the thunder?
Century City's got everything covered.
I was talkin' with a friend of mine,
He said a woman had hurt his pride,
She told him that she loved him so and
Then turned around and let him go.
Then he said, "You better watch your step
Or you're gonna get hurt yourself.
Someone's gonna tell you lies and
Cut you down to size."
Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
I just might love you baby.
Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
Don't do me like that.
Someday I might need you honey
Don't do me like that.
Listen honey, can't you see? Baby, it would bury me
If you were in the public eye givin' someone else a try.
So you know you better watch your step
Or you're gonna get hurt yourself.
Someone's gonna tell you lies,
Cut you down to size.
Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
I just might love you baby.
Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
Someday I might need you honey
Don't do me like that. Somewhere deep down inside,
Somethin' sayin,' "Love doesn't last that long."
I've had this feelin' inside night out and day in,
Baby, I can't take it no more.
Listen honey, can't you see? Baby, it would bury me
If you were in the public eye givin' someone else a try.
So you know you better watch your step
Or you're gonna get hurt yourself.
Someone's gonna tell you lies,
Cut you down to size.
Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
I just might love you baby
Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
Someday I might need you, honey. Don't do me like that.
Baby, I heard thunder, I woke up in the middle of the night.
Baby, I saw fire, I went left, I went right.
So you tell me what'd you want me to do?
This might be over, honey it ain't through.
Let me know when you're finished with me.
What'd you want me to be?
Baby, you tell me. Baby, you tell me.
Baby, I don't understand this, but that's alright.
I can take a little pain, I've been winnin' and losin'.
Baby, I've been in and out of the rain.
So you tell me what'd you want me to do?
This might be over, honey it ain't through.
Let me know when you're finished with me.
What'd you want me to be?
Baby, you tell me. Baby, you tell me.
Well, you put me through your paces and
You twisted 'til I felt like dyin'.
Yeah, the last thing that I need was to finally realize
That you were lyin'.
So you tell me what'd you want me to do?
This might be over, honey it ain't through.
Let me know when you're finished with me.
What'd you want me to be?
Baby, you tell me. Baby, you tell me.
Well, you followed me all around New York City
Tryin' to make people think I wanted you with me.
I can only hope that they didn't believe you.
Now I can't figure out why I got to deal with you.
What are you doin' in my life?
What are you doin' in my life?
What are you doin' in my life?
I didn't ask for you.
I don't know how you got my telephone number,
Probably some jerk tryin' to put me under.
Some friend, of a friend, of a friend of mine,
Baby, who are you trying to fool when you tell me those lies?
What are you doin' in my life?
What are you doin' in my life?
What are you doin' in my life?
I didn't ask for you.
Well, this is all a little too much to believe,
You're puttin' my name all around in the street.
Honey, where did you think this was gonna lead?
Baby, will you tell me what you want from me?
You're the last woman in the world that thrills me
And now you got my girlfriend tryin' to kill me.
Honey, my friends think that I've gone crazy.
Can't you figure out that you ain't my baby?
What are you doin' in my life?
What are you doin' in my life?
What are you doin' in my life?
I didn't ask for you.
Well, it was out in California by the San Diego Sea,
That was when I was taken in, and it left its mark on me.
Yeah, she nearly drove me crazy with all those china toys,
And I know she really didn't mean a thing to those sailor boys.
Louisiana rain is falling at my feet.
Baby, I'm noticing a change as I move down the street.
Louisiana rain is soaking through my shoes.
I may never be the same when I reach Baton Rouge.
South Carolina put out its arms for me
Right up until everything went black
Somewhere on lonely street.
And I still can't quite remember,
Who helped me to my feet.
Thank God for a long-neck bottle,
The angels remedy.
Louisiana rain is falling just like tears,
Running down my face, washing out the years.
Louisiana rain is soaking through my shoes.
I may never be the same when I reach Baton Rouge.
Well, I never will get over this English refugee
Singing to the juke-box in some all-nite beanery.
Yeah, he was eating pills like candy
And chasing them with tea.
You should have seen him lick his lips at old black Molly B.
Louisiana rain is falling at my feet.
Baby, I'm noticing a change as I move down the street.
Louisiana rain is soaking through my shoes.
I may never be the same when I reach Baton Rouge.
Louisiana rain is falling just like tears,
Running down my face, washing out the years.
Louisiana rain is soaking through my shoes.
I may never be the same when I reach Baton Rouge.
Nothing Petty
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