About The Song
“Listen to Her Heart” is a rock song written by Tom Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for their second album, You’re Gonna Get It!, released on May 2, 1978, by Shelter Records. Released as the album’s second single in August 1978, with “I Need to Know” as the B-side, it peaked at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 7, 1978, spending six weeks on the chart. The album reached No. 23 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA for 500,000 US sales. The song also hit No. 66 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart.
Recorded in late 1977 at Shelter Studio in Los Angeles, the track was produced by Denny Cordell, Tom Petty, and Noah Shark. It features Tom Petty on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Mike Campbell on lead guitar, Benmont Tench on organ, Ron Blair on bass, and Stan Lynch on drums. The song’s jangly, Byrds-inspired sound, with Campbell’s chiming Rickenbacker guitar, reflects Petty’s admiration for 1960s rock, as he noted in a 1999 Billboard interview. The lyrics, about a man asserting his love against a rival’s superficial charm, were written by Petty in 1977, possibly inspired by tensions with his then-girlfriend Jane Benyo, per Petty: The Biography. The track was recorded in a single day, with Cordell emphasizing its bright, upbeat feel, per Rhino’s session logs.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976, were building on their debut album’s modest success with “Breakdown” (No. 40, 1977). “Listen to Her Heart” followed the Top 40 hit “I Need to Know” (No. 41, 1978) and was written during a period of intense touring, including a 1978 UK stint with Nils Lofgren, per Stereogum. The band performed it live frequently, including at their 1978 Santa Monica Civic Auditorium show and on a 1978 BBC Old Grey Whistle Test appearance, showcasing its tight arrangement. It remained a setlist regular, performed at their 2017 Hollywood Bowl concert, Petty’s last before his death on October 2, 2017, per Rolling Stone.
Covers are rare, but The Donnas recorded a 2004 version for a tribute album, and Buffalo Tom played it live in 2018. The song appeared in TV shows like Mad Men (2012) and films like Grandma’s Boy (2006). Its simple G-A-D chord progression, analyzed on Medium, and defiant “you ain’t gonna take my girl” refrain fueled its radio play, per Genius. No music video was made, as MTV launched later. Petty described it as a “protective anthem” in a 2002 Mojo interview, denying specific personal drama but admitting it reflected his stubborn streak. The track’s recording, per American Songwriter, captured the band’s early chemistry, with Tench’s organ adding a distinctive layer.
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Lyric
You think you’re gonna take her away
With your money and your cocaine
Keep thinkin’ that her mind is gonna change
But I know everything is okayShe’s gonna listen to her heart
It’s gonna tell her what to do
She might need a lot of lovin’
But she don’t need youYou want her so bad, it’s true
You’re shakin’ like a nervous child
You think you got her all figured out
But she’s gonna make you wait a whileShe’s gonna listen to her heart
It’s gonna tell her what to do
She might need a lot of lovin’
But she don’t need youAnd when she says that it’s over
You’ll wish you’d never tried
‘Cause she’s got a way of knowin’
What’s deep down insideShe’s gonna listen to her heart
It’s gonna tell her what to do
She might need a lot of lovin’
But she don’t need you