About The Song
“Breakdown” is a rock song written by Tom Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for their self-titled debut album, released on November 9, 1976, by Shelter Records. It was issued as the album’s first single in November 1976, with “The Wild One, Forever” as the B-side, and reached No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 30, 1977, spending 17 weeks on the chart. The album peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard 200 but hit No. 24 in the UK, driven by the band’s 1977 tour. A live version from 1985, released in 1986 on Pack Up the Plantation: Live!, charted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.
Recorded in July 1976 at Shelter Studio in Los Angeles, the track was produced by Leon Russell. It features Tom Petty on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Mike Campbell on lead guitar, Benmont Tench on piano and organ, Ron Blair on bass, and Stan Lynch on drums, with Phil Seymour and Dwight Twilley on backing vocals. The song’s slow, brooding groove, with Campbell’s Rickenbacker guitar riff, was inspired by Petty’s love for The Rolling Stones and The Byrds, per a 1991 Rolling Stone interview. The lyrics depict a tense romantic standoff, with Petty’s delivery shifting from defiant to vulnerable, written after a late-night jam session, as noted in Songfacts. The track was recorded in a few takes, with Russell pushing for a raw feel, per Rhino’s session logs.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976, blended Southern rock with jangle pop. “Breakdown” was among the first songs written for their debut, composed in a rehearsal space in LA’s San Fernando Valley, per American Songwriter. Its US chart performance was modest until the band’s 1977 UK tour with Nils Lofgren boosted airplay, leading to a 1978 re-release that gained FM radio traction, per Stereogum. The band performed it live extensively, including at their 1978 Santa Monica Civic Auditorium show and 2017 Hollywood Bowl concert, Petty’s final performance before his death on October 2, 2017. A 1977 BBC Old Grey Whistle Test performance showcased its intensity.
Covers include Grace Jones’ 1980 reggae version on Warm Leatherette, The Almost’s 2008 punk take, and Aloe Blacc’s 2014 acoustic rendition. The song appeared in films like FM (1978) and Into the Wild (2007), and TV shows like The Sopranos (2000). Its “go ahead, give it to me” ad-lib, often extended live, became a fan favorite, per Genius. The track’s simple D-A-G chord progression, analyzed in Medium, and its dynamic build made it a radio staple. Petty debunked rumors of it being about a specific breakup, calling it a fictional narrative in a 2002 Mojo interview, ensuring no controversies clouded its legacy.
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Lyric
It’s alright if you love me
It’s alright if you don’t
I’m not afraid of you runnin’ away, honey
I’ve got a feelin’ you won’tThere’s no sense in pretendin’
Your eyes give you away
Something inside you is feelin’ like I do
We’ve said all there is to sayBaby, breakdown, go ahead and give it to me
Breakdown, honey, take me through the night
Breakdown, I’m standin’ here, can’t you see?
Breakdown, it’s alright
It’s alright, it’s alrightBreakdown, go ahead and give it to me
Breakdown, honey, take me through the night
Breakdown, I’m standin’ here, can’t you see?
Breakdown, it’s alright
It’s alright, it’s alright