About The Song
“Even the Losers” is a rock song written by Tom Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for their third album, Damn the Torpedoes, released on October 19, 1979, by Backstreet/MCA Records. Released as the album’s third single in February 1980, with “Louisiana Rain” as the B-side, it peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 19, 1980, spending 12 weeks on the chart, and reached No. 22 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart. The album hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200, held off by Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA for three million US sales.
Recorded in mid-1979 at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, the track was produced by Jimmy Iovine and Tom Petty. It features Tom Petty on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Mike Campbell on lead guitar, Benmont Tench on organ and piano, Ron Blair on bass, and Stan Lynch on drums. The song’s driving, jangly sound, with Campbell’s chiming guitar riff, draws from The Byrds and 1960s rock, as Petty noted in a 1999 Billboard interview. The lyrics, about resilience in the face of romantic and personal setbacks, were written by Petty in 1978, reflecting his struggles during a legal dispute with Shelter Records, per Songfacts. The track was recorded in a single session, with Iovine emphasizing its raw energy, per Rhino’s session logs.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976, were cementing their breakout with Damn the Torpedoes after modest success with “Breakdown” (No. 40, 1977). “Even the Losers” followed their first Top 10 hit, “Don’t Do Me Like That” (No. 10, 1980), and was written during a turbulent period when Petty faced bankruptcy over label contracts, as detailed in Petty: The Biography. The band performed it live on their 1979–1980 tour, including a February 1980 show at LA’s Forum, and it remained a staple, notably at their 2017 Hollywood Bowl concert, Petty’s last before his death on October 2, 2017, per Stereogum. A 1979 BBC Old Grey Whistle Test performance highlighted its live intensity.
Covers are scarce, but Red City Radio recorded a 2015 version for a tribute album, and The Dirty Knobs, led by Mike Campbell, performed it live in 2020. The song appeared in TV shows like Friday Night Lights (2006) and films like Elizabethtown (2005). Its D-G-A chord progression, analyzed on Medium, and anthemic “even the losers get lucky sometimes” hook drove its radio appeal, per Genius. The music video, a simple performance clip, aired on early MTV. Petty called it a “personal pep talk” in a 2002 Mojo interview, denying specific romantic inspiration. The track’s recording, per American Songwriter, benefited from Iovine’s focus on tight arrangements, solidifying its place in the band’s catalog.
Video
Lyric
Well, I saw you with another
It made me lose my mind
Shot me like a bullet
Left me deaf and blind
Yeah, you’ve been livin’ with a secret
And it’s tearin’ you apart
But I ain’t gonna let it
Break my heartEven the losers
Get lucky sometimes
Even the losers
Keep a little bit of pride
They get lucky sometimesYou laughed when I told you
I was gonna make it big
Said I wasn’t good for nothin’
Just a no-good kid
Well, I’m standin’ on the corner
With a guitar in my hand
And I’m waitin’ for my moment
To be a better manEven the losers
Get lucky sometimes
Even the losers
Keep a little bit of pride
They get lucky sometimesWell, I’ve been down so long
I’ve forgotten how to smile
But I’m pickin’ up the pieces
And I’m learnin’ all the while
Yeah, you can’t keep me down forever
I’m gonna make it through
‘Cause I’ve got a little fire
Burnin’ just for youEven the losers
Get lucky sometimes
Even the losers
Keep a little bit of pride
They get lucky sometimes