Hard Promises
Studio album by
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
ReleasedMay 5, 1981 (1981-05-05)
Recorded1980–81
Studio
GenreRock
Length39:33
LabelBackstreet
Producer
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers chronology
Damn the Torpedoes
(1979) 		Hard Promises
(1981) 		Long After Dark
(1982)
Singles from Hard Promises
  1. "The Waiting"/"Nightwatchman"
    Released: April 20, 1981
  2. "A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)"
    Released: June 29, 1981
  3. "Something Big"/"Letting You Go"
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
Christgau's Record GuideB[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
The Essential Rock Discography6/10[6]
MusicHound[7]
Music Story[citation needed]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]

Hard Promises is the fourth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released on May 5, 1981, on Backstreet Records.

History

Its working title was Benmont's Revenge, referring to keyboard player Benmont Tench.[10] The album features guest vocals from Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac on the duet "Insider". The Heartbreakers also recorded the hit "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" for Nicks' album Bella Donna around the time Hard Promises was recorded.

This was the second Tom Petty album on the Backstreet Records label. The album's release was delayed while Petty and his distributor MCA Records argued about the list price. The album was slated to be the next MCA release with the new list price of $9.98, following Steely Dan's Gaucho and the Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra Xanadu soundtrack. This so-called "superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98.[11] Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album or naming it Eight Ninety-Eight were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase.[12]

The final title comes from a line in the chorus of "Insider".

Hard Promises is the last full album to feature the original Heartbreakers lineup, as bassist Ron Blair left after the album's release. He returned on Mojo, and he would make guest appearances on Long After Dark and Southern Accents and, after rejoining the band in 2002, played on select tracks on The Last DJ. He was replaced by Howie Epstein, who continued to play until his removal in 2002 due to deteriorating health.

In 2000 it was voted number 968 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[13]

John Lennon tribute

Album etch tribute to John Lennon

During the recording of the album, John Lennon was scheduled to be in the same studio at the same time. Petty was looking forward to meeting him when he came in. The meeting never occurred, as Lennon was murdered before the date of his planned visit to the studio. Petty and the band paid tribute to the slain former Beatle by etching "WE LOVE YOU J.L." in the runout deadwax on early U.S. and Canadian pressings of Hard Promises.[14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tom Petty, except 2, 3 and 10, co-written by Mike Campbell

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."The Waiting"3:58
2."A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)"4:22
3."Nightwatchman"3:59
4."Something Big"4:44
5."Kings Road"3:27
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Letting You Go"3:24
7."A Thing About You"3:33
8."Insider"4:23
9."The Criminal Kind"4:00
10."You Can Still Change Your Mind"4:15
Total length:39:33

Personnel

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Hard Promises
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Gold 20,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[24] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[25] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ "Tom Petty: Hard Promises". Blender. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  3. ^ Kot, Greg (1991-09-01). "Through The Years With Tom Petty". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
  4. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: tom petty and the heartbreakers". www.robertchristgau.com.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th edn). London: Omnibus Press. p. 2005. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  6. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p. 816. ISBN 978-1-84195-827-9.
  7. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 870. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  8. ^ "Hard Promises". rollingstone.com. 23 July 1981.
  9. ^ "Tom Petty: Album Guide - Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. 14 July 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011.
  10. ^ Goldstein, Patrick. "Pop Eye" Los Angeles Times Sept. 21, 1980: T80.
  11. ^ Goldstein, Patrick. "Petty Battling MCA Over Record Price Hike" Los Angeles Times February 1, 1981: N72.
  12. ^ Marsh, Dave. "Tom Petty" Musician July 1981: 43.
  13. ^ Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 292. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  14. ^ Conversations with Tom Petty by Paul Zollo
  15. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  16. ^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 35, No. 4" (PHP). RPM. 1981-07-04. Retrieved 2014-05-01.
  17. ^ "charts.nz — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Hard Promises". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2014-05-01.
  18. ^ "swedishcharts.com Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Hard Promises" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2014-05-01.
  19. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Artist: Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
  20. ^ "Allmusic: Hard Promises : Charts & Awards : Billboard Albums". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
  21. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM. 1981-12-26. Retrieved 2014-05-01.
  22. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1981 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  23. ^ "Billboard Vol. 94, No. 23: Majors Flight Economics with Quirky Rock Originals". Billboard. December 6, 1982. p. A-NZ 8. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  24. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Tom Petty – Hard Promises". Music Canada.
  25. ^ "American album certifications – Tom Petty – Hard Promises". Recording Industry Association of America.
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