Tom Petty

Band

Photo: kyonokyonokyono · CC BY 2.0
Active 1976-2017
Died October 2, 2017
Origin Gainesville, Florida
Albums 16
Tracks 188
Most frequent collaborator Rick Rubin · 45 tracks
Genres rockheartland rockfolk rockclassic rock
Complete Artist
98%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 185 of 188 tracks

Did Tom Petty write his own songs?

Yes. Tom Petty wrote or co-wrote about 98% of his catalogue, an unusually high rate for a rock star of his scale. He wrote many songs alone, like 'American Girl,' and co-wrote others with Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, such as 'Refugee.' Jeff Lynne co-wrote and produced his Full Moon Fever hits 'Free Fallin'' and 'I Won't Back Down.'

By the Numbers

16
Studio Albums
188
Tracks Credited
98%
Self-Written
more than 80 million
Records Sold
41
Years Active
25
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 185 / 188 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 188 tracks: how many Tom Petty wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Tom Petty has a writing credit98%
88%
10%
2%
Sole author166tracks88%
Co-written19tracks10%
Outside writers3tracks2%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Tom Petty's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 188 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)98%
Composer (music)98%
Producer95%
Performer96%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 188 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Tom Petty Died October 2, 2017 1976-2017 (died October 2, 2017)
98%
98%
95%
96%
Mike Campbell 1976-2017
17%
17%
74%
0%
Benmont Tench 1976-2017
0%
0%
0%
0%
Ron Blair 1976-1982, 2001-2017
0%
0%
0%
0%
Stan Lynch 1976-1994
0%
0%
0%
0%
Howie Epstein Died February 23, 2003 1982-2003 (died February 23, 2003)
0%
0%
0%
0%
Steve Ferrone 1994-2017
0%
0%
0%
0%
Scott Thurston 1994-2017
0%
0%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Tom Petty's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 98%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
92%
100%
100%
87%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
1976Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
1978You're Gonna Get It!
1979Damn the Torpedoes
1981Hard Promises
1982Long After Dark
1985Southern Accents
1987Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)
1989Full Moon Fever
1991Into the Great Wide Open
1994Wildflowers
1996She's the One
1999Echo
2002The Last DJ
2006Highway Companion
2010Mojo
2014Hypnotic Eye
Early · 100% written
Mid · 96% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
1970s
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, You're Gonna Get It! +1 more
98%
1980s
Hard Promises, Long After Dark +3 more
96%
1990s
Into the Great Wide Open, Wildflowers +2 more
100%
2000s
The Last DJ, Highway Companion
100%
2010s
Mojo, Hypnotic Eye

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Tom Petty sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Tom Petty
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Tina Turner0%
Cher8%
Ricky Martin25%
Eric Clapton40%
Cyndi Lauper60%
Bob Dylan76%
Bruce Springsteen88%
98%Tom Petty
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Breakdown
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
I Need to Know
You're Gonna Get It!
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
Listen to Her Heart
You're Gonna Get It!
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
Don't Do Me Like That
Damn the Torpedoes
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
Refugee
Damn the Torpedoes
Written by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Thomas Earl Petty, Michael Wayne Campbell
Wrote it
Here Comes My Girl
Damn the Torpedoes
Written by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Thomas Earl Petty, Michael Wayne Campbell
Wrote it
The Waiting
Hard Promises
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)
Hard Promises
Written by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Thomas Earl Petty, Michael Wayne Campbell
Wrote it
You Got Lucky
Long After Dark
Written by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Thomas Earl Petty, Michael Wayne Campbell
Wrote it
Change of Heart
Long After Dark
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
Don't Come Around Here No More
Southern Accents
Written by Tom Petty, Dave Stewart, Thomas Earl Petty, David Allan Stewart
Co-wrote
Make It Better (Forget About Me)
Southern Accents
Written by Tom Petty, Dave Stewart, Thomas Earl Petty, David Allan Stewart
Co-wrote
Rebels
Southern Accents
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
Jammin' Me
Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)
Written by Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Mike Campbell, Thomas Earl Petty, Robert Allen Zimmerman, Michael Wayne Campbell
Co-wrote
Free Fallin'
Full Moon Fever
Written by Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Thomas Earl Petty, Jeffrey Lynne
Co-wrote
I Won't Back Down
Full Moon Fever
Written by Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Thomas Earl Petty, Jeffrey Lynne
Co-wrote
Runnin' Down a Dream
Full Moon Fever
Written by Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Mike Campbell, Thomas Earl Petty, Jeffrey Lynne, Michael Wayne Campbell
Co-wrote
A Face in the Crowd
Full Moon Fever
Written by Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Thomas Earl Petty, Jeffrey Lynne
Co-wrote
Learning to Fly
Into the Great Wide Open
Written by Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Thomas Earl Petty, Jeffrey Lynne
Co-wrote
Out in the Cold
Into the Great Wide Open
Written by Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Thomas Earl Petty, Jeffrey Lynne
Co-wrote
You Don't Know How It Feels
Wildflowers
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
You Wreck Me
Wildflowers
Written by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Thomas Earl Petty, Michael Wayne Campbell
Wrote it
It's Good to Be King
Wildflowers
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
A Higher Place
Wildflowers
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
Walls (Circus)
She's the One
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
Climb That Hill
She's the One
Written by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Thomas Earl Petty, Michael Wayne Campbell
Wrote it
Change the Locks
She's the One
Written by Lucinda Williams, Lucinda Gayle Williams
Outside writers
Free Girl Now
Echo
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
Swingin'
Echo
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it
Room at the Top
Echo
Written by Tom Petty, Thomas Earl Petty
Wrote it

Discography 16 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Tom Petty188 tracks
45Rick Rubin, 45 tracks JI38Jimmy Iovine, 38 tracks 36Jeff Lynne, 36 tracks RU26Ryan Ulyate, 26 tracks DC20Denny Cordell, 20 tracks 15Jeffrey Lynne, 15 tracks GD12George Drakoulias, 12 tracks NS10Noah Shark, 10 tracks RR9Robbie Robertson, 9 tracks DS9Dave Stewart, 9 tracks on Eurythmics's page SN2Stevie Nicks, 2 tracks on Fleetwood Mac's page BD1Bob Dylan, 1 track RA1Robert Allen Zimmerman, 1 track GH1George Harrison, 1 track on The Beatles's page GC1Gene Clark, 1 track HE1Harold Eugene Clark, 1 track RO1Roy Orbison, 1 track RM1Roger McGuinn, 1 track LW1Lucinda Williams, 1 track LG1Lucinda Gayle Williams, 1 track B1Beck, 1 track RS1Ringo Starr, 1 track on The Beatles's page LB1Lindsey Buckingham, 1 track on Fleetwood Mac's page

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. JI Jimmy Iovine · RU Ryan Ulyate · DC Denny Cordell

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Tom Petty wrote or co-wrote virtually everything in his catalog, a rarity among rock acts of similar commercial scale. His primary co-writer across most albums was Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, who composed most of the music while Petty wrote the lyrics. The solo records (Full Moon Fever, Wildflowers, Highway Companion) are worth isolating: they show Petty writing with Jeff Lynne and Rick Rubin respectively, and the member credit breakdown shifts accordingly.

Quick Facts

  • SalesSold more than 80 million records worldwide with the Heartbreakers and solo
  • Rock HallInducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Heartbreakers in 2002
  • Main co-writerGuitarist Mike Campbell co-wrote many of the band's biggest songs
  • Traveling WilburysCo-founded the supergroup in 1988 with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne
  • Full Moon FeverHis 1989 solo debut, made with Jeff Lynne, produced 'Free Fallin'' and 'I Won't Back Down'

Creative Fingerprint

A rock songwriter who owned his catalogue: Tom Petty wrote or co-wrote about 98% of his songs, mostly alone or with guitarist Mike Campbell, with Jeff Lynne joining for the Full Moon Fever era.

The Story

Tom Petty was a Florida-born rock musician who led Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1976 until his death in 2017, releasing 13 studio albums with the band alongside three solo records. Known for combining hook-driven songwriting with a raw, unpretentious sound rooted in classic rock and roll, he became one of the best-selling artists of the 20th century.

Awards & Recognition

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 2002
Sold more than 80 million records worldwide
Full Moon Fever (1989) and Wildflowers (1994) are among the most acclaimed albums of his era
A founding member of the Traveling Wilburys supergroup

Frequently Asked Questions Tom Petty

Did Tom Petty write his own songs?
Yes. Tom Petty wrote or co-wrote about 98% of his catalogue, an unusually high rate for a rock star of his scale. He wrote many songs alone, like 'American Girl,' and co-wrote others with Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, such as 'Refugee.' Jeff Lynne co-wrote and produced his Full Moon Fever hits 'Free Fallin'' and 'I Won't Back Down.'
Who wrote 'Free Fallin''?
'Free Fallin'' was co-written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne for Petty's solo debut Full Moon Fever (1989). Lynne produced the album, and the song became one of Petty's most beloved and most covered.
Who wrote 'Refugee'?
'Refugee,' from Damn the Torpedoes (1979), was co-written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell. Campbell wrote the music and Petty the lyrics, a partnership that produced many of the band's classics.
Who wrote 'Mary Jane's Last Dance'?
'Mary Jane's Last Dance' (1993) was written by Tom Petty and recorded with the Heartbreakers for his Greatest Hits collection. It became one of his signature songs even though it did not appear on a standard studio album.
How many albums did Tom Petty release?
This catalogue covers his studio albums with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist, from the 1976 debut Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers through Hypnotic Eye (2014), including Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers.
When did Tom Petty die?
Tom Petty died on October 2, 2017, at age 66, from an accidental drug overdose shortly after finishing a 40th-anniversary tour. His death was mourned across the music world.
What were the Traveling Wilburys?
The Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup Petty co-founded in 1988 with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. The all-star lineup wrote and recorded together, and Petty contributed songs and vocals.
Was Tom Petty in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, recognising decades of hits built largely on Petty's own songwriting.
What genre is Tom Petty?
Tom Petty played rock, heartland rock, and folk rock, writing plainspoken, melodic songs about freedom and heartbreak like 'American Girl,' 'Refugee,' and 'Learning to Fly.'

Sources

Wikipedia: Tom Petty Wikipedia: Howie Epstein Tom Petty - Flickr