How Tom Petty Turned a Joke Into His Biggest Hit of 1989 episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 22, 2025 · 32 MIN

How Tom Petty Turned a Joke Into His Biggest Hit of 1989

from Professor of Rock

Today we go back to a strange year in music that was equal parts wild & unpredictable: 1989. A true transitional year that was stuck between the past and the future and it wasn’t really sure of its identity... where rock, pop, and R&B collided in the most unforgettable way. Where one metal band had such an epic drum sound that an elder statesman of 60s rock was a surprise fan…Wait till you hear this story. Also, Tears For Fears copped a Beatles record so blatantly that Paul McCartney joked he should be in line for Royalties. Plus teen sensation Markita, who released one of the darkest songs of the year and then disappeared. As well as legendary rocker Tom Petty who sang a bunch of hilarious one-liners as a joke to get his famous producer to laugh… It worked but the producer actually made him turn the running joke into a song and it became his biggest hit. We count down the top 10 songs of an eclectic year in music. See if you can guess it before we announce it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 22, 2025

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How Tom Petty Turned a Joke Into His Biggest Hit of 1989

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