Happy Tuesday! Yeah, I didn’t post on Monday, but it was Labor Day, so I think that’s okay. Listening to the radio last night, I caught an episode of The Last DJ on Tom Petty Radio, where a listener is a guest DJ and plays their top five Tom Petty songs. I figured I’d put together my list…or rather, two lists, since I do ten songs on one of these playlists. Ten is an easier number for me, since I like so many of the man’s songs. Without further ado, here are my top ten (today) Tom Petty (and the Heartbreakers) songs:

1. “Casa Dega”: The greatest b-side that ever was. It’s from the Damn the Torpedoes! era, an album that was so good that most other bands would call it a Greatest Hits collection. A record so good, this song didn’t make it onto the record. It has all the hallmarks of a classic Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers song, though: the keyboard flourishes, Mike Campbell’s gorgeous guitar fills, and Petty’s cryptic yet straightforward lyrics.
2. “Don’t Do Me Like That”: This was the first song I ever really fell completely in love with. There’s the pleading of the chorus, that absolutely perfect bridge, and Benmont Tench’s insistent organ throughout make this one an instant classic.
3. “Breakdown”: The slow, almost sensual groove of this one always surprises me. It feels very unlike any other Tom Petty song, and yet you can right away tell it’s one of his. It’s also extremely satisfying to play that lead riff on the guitar.
4. “A Thing About You”: Every time I listen to this song while I’m driving, I glance down and notice I’m doing at least twenty miles an hour over the speed limit. The intensity and power of this song are unlike anything else, and I guarantee I’ll be singing along and playing air guitar before it’s over.
5. “Walls”: The opener to the underrated She’s All That soundtrack stands the test of time where I’m not sure the movie does (does anyone even remember that film? I don’t). It’s lovely and sad and heartbroken in a way that only Tom Petty can ever really pull off without sounding morose and sad sack.
6. “Stand Accused of Love”: Echo is another criminally underrated album. Yeah, Tom was going through it when they recorded this one, and it didn’t really feature much in their live shows, but there are some really strong songs here. This is a classic Petty tune, with clever lyrics, an anthematic chorus, and great playing all around by the Heartbreakers.
7. “Crawling Back to You”: Wildflowers remains my favorite Tom Petty album. I saw Tom on the Wildflowers Tour (and the Into the Great Wide Open Tour, where I had front-row tickets) back in ’95, and it was a helluva experience. This song always sticks in my mind. The lyrics are so bittersweet, and it features my favorite Tom lines of all time: “I’m so tired of feeling tired/Sure as night will follow day/Most things I worry ’bout/Never happen anyway.”
8. “Yer So Bad”: If you want to get a picking circle jumping, this is a great way to do it. A swingin’, floor-stompin’ good time, even if it is about how his sister’s ex-husband is a complete and absolute loser.
9. “Have Love Will Travel”: This one is on here to make Dad happy.
10. “Built to Last”: I listened to this song on repeat the day Tom Petty died. It’s a testament to endurance, to longevity, to carrying on when you don’t think you can anymore. It’s about reaching deep inside yourself and finding that bit at your core that tells you that love can last forever, that the more things change, the more the one thing that matters most in the world remains solidly, resolutely unchanged. Love is built to last.