With the untimely death of rock legend Tom Petty at 66, let us take a moment to remember his enduring genius, which laid in his ability to be understated and sublime at once.
His classic rock peers — Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, John Mellencamp and Bob Seger — drew their power from exaggeration. Petty, who died last night after suffering cardiac arrest, according to a family spokeswoman, never went for that. He made you fall head over heels, or broke your heart, with simplicity and subtlety.
Compare Bruce or Billy’s huge hits with “Free Fallin’,” “Learning to Fly” and “Wildflowers.” Petty’s masterpieces feel like he tossed them off during a 45-minute layover in some nondescript Midwestern airport. And they also sound like rock ’n’ roll perfection.
Petty’s craft served him well through five decades. The man and his legendary Heartbreakers exploded in the late ’70s and early ’80s with hits we know by heart: “American Girl,” “The Waiting,” “Refugee.” Slowly, with the constancy and tirelessness of a journeyman, he wove his songs into lives of generations.
While others quit (Joel), slowed their output to a trickle (Seger, Jackson Browne) or just couldn’t come up with more great material (Springsteen), Petty kept penning those understated gems — including his side projects with the Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. Both 2010’s “Mojo” and 2014’s “Hypnotic Eye” have moments of brilliance on par with anything on “Full Moon Fever.”
Counterintuitively, Petty’s mellow cool made his concerts a thing of wonder. Other artists try so hard to have enormous presence, Petty did it seemingly by accident. Petty didn’t need to charge around the stage; he sauntered with an impish glee that was infectious.
While the icon hinted last summer’s trek celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Heartbreakers might be his last major tour, he also suggested it wouldn’t. With classic coy Petty charm, he told “Rolling Stone” in May that he wouldn’t quit playing,
“I need something to do, or I tend to be a nuisance around the house,” he said.
And why would he quit? He was making some of best music of his career (because he was always making some of the best music of his career).
In 2016, he brought Mudcrutch to the Boston House of Blues. A reunion of his pre-Heartbreakers, Mudcrutch sounded as vital as any contemporary band. Petty seemed to love every minute of it.
“We used to do five sets a night, six nights a week, and make $100 apiece for the week,” he told the crowd at the show.
Then he added in his drowsy drawl: “It’s a lot if you’re living at home.”
If you’re stuck on an ideal Petty playlist, let me suggest a one-two punch from “Wildflowers” that exemplifies his unique genius: “Time to Move On” into “You Wreck Me.”
The first will remind you Petty could do delicate, little tunes like no one else; the second proves he never innovated, he just got the truth and glory of rock ’n’ roll right with every riff, harmony vocal and drum thump.
