Room at the Top (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)

Last updated
"Room at the Top"
Single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
from the album Echo
Released1999
Genre Rock [1]
Length5:01
Songwriter(s) Tom Petty
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers singles chronology
"Free Girl Now"
(1999)
"Room at the Top"
(1999)
"Swingin'"
(1999)

"Room at the Top" is the first track on the album Echo by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and the second single from the album. It reached number 19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. [2]

The song is about escapism and the end of Petty's first marriage. Petty described it as one of the most depressing songs in rock history, [3] and so intensely personal for him that once the Echo tour was over, he refused to play it. [4]

"Room at the Top" was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards.

Charts

Chart (1999)Peak
position
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [2] 19
US Adult Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [5] 1

Related Research Articles

<i>Wildflowers</i> (Tom Petty album) 1994 studio album by Tom Petty

Wildflowers is the second solo studio album by American musician Tom Petty, released on November 1, 1994. The album was the first released by Petty after signing a contract with Warner Bros. Records and the first of three albums produced by Rick Rubin. The album was certified 3× platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>Echo</i> (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album) 1999 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Echo is the tenth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Released in April 1999, the album reached number 10 on the Billboard 200 aided by singles "Free Girl Now", "Swingin'" and "Room at the Top", which hit numbers 5, 17 and 19 respectively on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1999. The album was the band's last collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, and was also the last to feature contributions from longtime bassist/vocalist Howie Epstein, who died of a heroin overdose in 2003. Despite still being a member of the band, Epstein is missing from the album's cover photo because he failed to show up for the photo shoot, and Petty ordered it to commence without him. It also marks the first to feature longtime touring member Scott Thurston. Echo was certified Gold by the RIAA in July 1999, only three months after it was released. Echo is the only Heartbreakers' album to feature a lead vocal from another member of the band, namely lead guitarist Mike Campbell on "I Don't Wanna Fight".

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Tom Petty album) 1993 greatest hits album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1993. It is Petty's best-selling album to date and was certified 12× Platinum by the RIAA on April 28, 2015. The single "Mary Jane's Last Dance" became one of Petty's most popular songs, reaching No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The other new song on the album is a cover of the Thunderclap Newman hit "Something in the Air". The album contains no songs from 1987's Let Me Up . However, three songs from Petty's 1989 solo album Full Moon Fever were included.

<i>Into the Great Wide Open</i> 1991 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Into the Great Wide Open is the eighth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Released in July 1991, it was the band's last with MCA Records. The album was the second that Petty produced with Jeff Lynne, following the successful Full Moon Fever (1989).

<i>Songs and Music from "Shes the One"</i> 1996 soundtrack album / studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Songs and Music from the Motion Picture "She's the One" is the ninth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, first released in August 1996. The album served as the soundtrack for the 1996 film She's the One, written and directed by Edward Burns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Jane's Last Dance</span> 1993 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Mary Jane's Last Dance" is a song written by Tom Petty and recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was recorded while Petty was recording his Wildflowers album and was produced by Rick Rubin, guitarist Mike Campbell, and Petty. The sessions would prove to be the last to include drummer Stan Lynch before his eventual departure in 1994. This song was first released as part of the Greatest Hits album in 1993. It rose to No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Petty's first Billboard top-20 hit of the 1990s, and also topped the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for two weeks. Internationally, the song reached No. 2 in Portugal and No. 5 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Learning to Fly (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)</span> 1991 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Learning to Fly" is a song by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was written in 1991 by Tom Petty and his writing partner Jeff Lynne for the band's eighth studio album, Into the Great Wide Open (1991). The entire song is based on four simple chords,. It became a top hit for Petty and the Heartbreakers, topping the US Album Rock Tracks chart and peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Don't Know How It Feels</span> 1994 single by Tom Petty

"You Don't Know How It Feels" is a song and the lead single from American musician Tom Petty's 1994 album, Wildflowers. The track features candid lyrics describing the songwriter's desire for personal and professional autonomy. The single reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, No. 3 on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, and No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Petty's last top-40 hit in the US. An alternate version was posthumously released on June 26, 2020. This version peaked at No. 54 on the iTunes chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugee (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)</span> 1980 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Refugee" is a song recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, was released in January 1980 as the second single from their album Damn the Torpedoes, and peaking at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song is in compound AABA form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Petty discography</span> Catalog of published recordings by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

This is the discography of Tom Petty, who was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Petty released 13 studio albums as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, three with supergroup the Traveling Wilburys and two with his previous band Mudcrutch, in addition to three solo albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stop Draggin' My Heart Around</span> 1981 single by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty

"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" is a song recorded by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and released as the first single from Nicks' debut solo album Bella Donna (1981). The track is the album's only song that was neither written nor co-written by Nicks. Written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell as a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song, Jimmy Iovine, who was also working for Stevie Nicks at the time, arranged for her to sing on it. Petty sang with Nicks in the chorus and bridge, while his entire band played on the song with the exception of Ron Blair, who was replaced by bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn for the recording.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Come Around Here No More</span> 1985 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Don't Come Around Here No More" is a song written by Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. It was released in February 1985 as the lead single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Southern Accents album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jammin' Me</span> 1987 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Jammin' Me" is a song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, co-written by Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Mike Campbell. The heartland rock tune first appeared on the band's 1987 album Let Me Up , and was later included on Petty's 'best of' albums Playback and Anthology: Through the Years.

<i>Mojo</i> (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album) 2010 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Mojo is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on June 15, 2010 on CD and June 29 on Blu-ray. It was Petty's first album with the Heartbreakers in eight years. Mojo debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 125,000 copies in its first week of release. The album was also the band's first full album with bassist Ron Blair since 1981's Hard Promises, as he played on only two tracks on the previous Heartbreakers album, The Last DJ.

"I Should Have Known It" is a song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from their 2010 album Mojo. It was included on Petty's 2019 posthumous greatest hits album The Best of Everything. The song has been described as a great rocker with a riff in Led Zeppelin's style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walls (Circus)</span> Original song written and composed by Tom Petty; from the 1996 film "Shes the One"

"Walls (Circus)" is a song written by Tom Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in July 1996 as the first single from their soundtrack album Songs and Music from "She's the One". The song features Lindsey Buckingham on background vocals. The song peaked at number 69 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was recorded at Sound City Studios by engineer Sylvia Massy. An alternate arrangement of the song, played at a faster tempo, was included on the soundtrack under the title "Walls (No. 3)". The song was later covered by Glen Campbell on his 2008 album Meet Glen Campbell and by The Lumineers on the first anniversary of Petty's death.

<i>Hypnotic Eye</i> 2014 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Hypnotic Eye is the thirteenth and final studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in the UK on July 28, 2014 and in the United States on July 29, by Reprise Records. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the only Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album ever to top the chart. Hypnotic Eye was nominated for the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. It was the Heartbreakers' final studio album before disbanding in 2017, following Petty's death in October of that year.

"Free Girl Now" is a song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It is the third track and the lead single from the band's album Echo. The single reached #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #3 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart. In Canada, the song peaked at number 1 on the RPM Rock Report in April 1999. The song later repeaked at number one on the RPM rock chart in May 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Wreck Me</span> 1995 single by Tom Petty

"You Wreck Me" is a song by American musician Tom Petty, the fourth track on his second solo studio album, Wildflowers (1994). The song was released as the second single from the album and became a concert staple. While the song did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, it did peak at number two on the Album Rock Tracks chart.

<i>The Best of Everything</i> (album) 2019 greatest hits album by Tom Petty

The Best of Everything is a 2019 greatest hits album with recordings made by Tom Petty, with his backing band The Heartbreakers, as a solo artist, and with Mudcrutch. It was released on March 1.

References

  1. https://returnofrock.com/echo-songs-ranked/
  2. 1 2 "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  3. "Echo by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers". Classic Rock Review. 2019-05-12. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  4. Songfacts. "Room At The Top by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers". Songfacts. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  5. "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard.