Listen to Her Heart
{{Infobox song
| name = Listen to Her Heart
| cover = TP - Listen to Her Heart single.png
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
| album = You're Gonna Get It!
| A-side = Listen to Her Heart
| B-side = I Don't Know What to Say to You
| released = {{Start date|1978|8|30}}
| recorded = Shelter Studios, Hollywood
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
- Rock{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-tom-petty-the-final-interview-20171004-story.html|title=Tom Petty's final interview: There was supposed to have been so much more|author=Lewis, Randy|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=October 4, 2017|access-date=November 27, 2019|quote=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."}}
- power pop{{cite news|first= Noel|last= Murray|title= A beginners' guide to the heyday of power-pop, 1972-1986|website= The A.V. Club |date= 11 October 2012|access-date= 19 December 2024|url= https://www.avclub.com/a-beginners-guide-to-the-heyday-of-power-pop-1972-198-1798234154}}
| length = 3:05
| label = Shelter
| writer = Tom Petty
| producer =
- Denny Cordell
- Noah Shark
- Tom Petty
| prev_title = I Need to Know
| prev_year = 1978
| next_title = Don't Do Me Like That
| next_year = 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.Joel Whitburn, Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955-2010, Record Research, 2011. 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.{{cite web|url=http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjU1OTI5MDA=.html?from=y1.2-1-95.3.2-2.1-1-1-1 |title=Tom Petty Live In Rockpalast 1977—在线播放—优酷网，视频高清在线观看 |website=V.youku.com |date= |access-date=2016-10-13}}
Background and content
Petty wrote the song as a response to Ike Turner making advances toward Petty's wife at the time.{{Cite web|url=https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/-20034/listen-to-her-heart-20081/|title="Listen to Her Heart"|website=Au.rollingstone.com|date=30 November 2020 |access-date=16 November 2021}}
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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-tom-petty-songs-archive-20020315-story.html|title=From the Archives: Tom Petty breaks down 10 of his songs, including big hits and obscure gems|date=16 March 2002|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=16 November 2021}}
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.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/tom-petty-songs-best-hits-list-7982072/|title=The 20 Best Tom Petty Songs|first=Andrew|last=Unterberger|magazine=Billboard|date=October 3, 2017|accessdate=February 8, 2022}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/tom-pettys-50-greatest-songs-197807/listen-to-her-heart-197937/|title=Tom Petty: 50 Greatest Songs|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=November 28, 2020|accessdate=February 8, 2022}} Cash Box said it has "an emphatic guitar opening" and "the story of an independent woman."{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=September 2, 1978|page=20|newspaper=Cash Box|accessdate=2022-01-01|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1978/CB-1978-09-02.pdf}} Record World said the song "sounds a bit like Buddy Holly and has all the elements of a pop natural."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=September 2, 1978|accessdate=2023-02-13|title=Hits of the Week|page=3|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/78/Record-World-1978-09-02.pdf}}
All appearances
- You're Gonna Get It!
- Greatest Hits
- Playback
- Anthology: Through the Years
- Mojo Tour 2010: Expanded Edition (Live Version)
- The song was featured as playable track in the 2010 music game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.
- An American Treasure (2018)
Charts
| class="wikitable" |
| Chart (1978)
! Peak |
|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100
| style="text-align:center;"| 59{{Cite magazine|title=The Hot 100 Chart|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1978-10-21|access-date=2021-09-20|magazine=Billboard}} |
References
{{reflist}}
{{TPHeartbreakers}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Tom Petty