"Listen to Her Heart"
Single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
from the album You're Gonna Get It!
A-side"Listen to Her Heart"
B-side"I Don't Know What to Say to You"
ReleasedAugust 30, 1978 (1978-08-30)
RecordedShelter Studios, Hollywood
GenreRock[1]
Length3:05
LabelShelter
Songwriter(s)Tom Petty
Producer(s)Denny Cordell, Noah Shark, Tom Petty
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers singles chronology
"I Need to Know"
(1978) 		"Listen to Her Heart"
(1978) 		"Don't Do Me Like That"
(1979)

"Listen to Her Heart" is a song recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in August 1978 as the second single from their second album, You're Gonna Get It!. It peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in October 1978.[2] This song as well as "I Need to Know" was already being played live as early as June 14, 1977 as is evidenced in Germany's music television show, Rockpalast.[3]

Background and content

Petty wrote the song as a response to Ike Turner making advances toward Petty's wife at the time.[4]

ABC Records pushed for the mention cocaine in the opening lyrics to be changed to the more radio-friendly lyric "champagne", but Petty refused. As a result, the song received limited airplay.[5]

Reception

"Listen to Her Heart" was ranked number five on Billboard's list of Petty's 20 greatest songs and on Rolling Stone's list of Petty's 50 greatest songs.[6][7] Cash Box said it has "an emphatic guitar opening" and "the story of an independent woman."[8] Record World said the song "sounds a bit like Buddy Holly and has all the elements of a pop natural."[9]

All appearances

Charts

Chart (1978) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Top Singles 66[10]
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 59[11]

References

  1. ^ Lewis, Randy (October 4, 2017). "Tom Petty's final interview: There was supposed to have been so much more". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 27, 2019. Classic-rock staples including "Breakdown," "American Girl," "Refugee," "Even the Losers," "Learning to Fly," "Listen to Her Heart," "Here Comes My Girl," "Walls," "Mary Jane's Last Dance."
  2. ^ Joel Whitburn, Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955-2010, Record Research, 2011.
  3. ^ "Tom Petty Live In Rockpalast 1977—在线播放—优酷网，视频高清在线观看". V.youku.com. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  4. ^ ""Listen to Her Heart"". Au.rollingstone.com. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  5. ^ "From the Archives: Tom Petty breaks down 10 of his songs, including big hits and obscure gems". Los Angeles Times. 16 March 2002. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  6. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (October 3, 2017). "The 20 Best Tom Petty Songs". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  7. ^ "Tom Petty: 50 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone. November 28, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  8. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 2, 1978. p. 20. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  9. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 2, 1978. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  10. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  11. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
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