How Tom Petty punched back at the music biz with “Refugee”

By the time Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers set out to record their third album, Damn The Torpedoes, they were in a legal mess with MCA Records over a contract sale which resulted in Petty losing all of his publishing rights, among other issues. In a drastic strategy to get the label off his back, he filed for bankruptcy and hid the master tapes of the material he, the band, and co-producer Jimmy Iovine were working on every day. That strategy worked, which resulted in a rare triumph for artists in the music business. When Damn The Torpedoes was released, it became their breakthrough, led by “Refugee,” a song Petty crafted the lyrics for in about 10 minutes. Dig in to the incredible story in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast.
Music Producer: Christian Lane
Video Director: Eva Empleo
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About Janda:
Behind The Song podcast host and creator Janda Lane is a radio DJ at WDRV-FM in Chicago, the city she calls home with her husband and podcast partner, Christian Lane, and their two cats, Ollie and Liam.
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Follow Janda on Facebook and Instagram @jandalaneradio and on Twitter and TikTok @jandalane.

[@md-1]

These are great stories you present,… however, it would be more interesting with reference photos, images,..to if only break up the visual.

[@theblackandwhitefilmproject]

Cool! My first date with my then girlfriend and now wife of 40 years was a TP concert in 1980 Auckland NZ when this song and album had just been released. The date and the concert both went well!

[@darinjames3313]

Tom was very special...💔.....Hey Janda!!.... Chicago Rock n Roll...I hear yer voice daily ...lol....very distinctive......you d a fantastic job and thanx from r these videos

[@mggilbert425]

I appreciate your direction with the channel.👍 Couple of friendly suggestions - use of B roll video and images, and also a little more rehearsal with the material coupled with a teleprompter so the delivery is smoother. Right now, it really stands out that you're pausing to refer to notes, and it takes away from the conversational vibe the Professor of Rock and Rick Beato deliver so well. Best of luck!! 😊

[@jdaniels1313]

I agree, let's crowdfund a teleprompter for Janda. Totally agree about the B-roll video and images, but she'd probably need to hire a video editor to fit that in. Her writeups are so awesome and full of golden nuggets! Janda should have 500,000+ subscribers, not a mere 16K. A little more polish in the delivery would make a huge difference for her. It's too easy for websurfers to click away because of the radio-style delivery before realizing just how terrific her writeups and stories are. I also absolutely love Professor of Rock, and enjoy Rick Beato as well. Janda's stuff is every bit as good, in its own way, and a little better, smoother, more "natural" presentation would make her subscriber numbers take off like a rocket. Isn't this stuff easy for US to say, when Janda is the one who'd have to execute on it? I think Janda could also try teaming with a "straight man" interviewer who would ask her questions about the song/band/story, and she could then riff off the questions and it would come out so natural and engaging. Professor does this type of thing sometimes when he is the interviewer, LOVE his interviewing style, and the result is always so engaging and watchable. Q. "So, Janda, was Tom Petty's song 'Refugee' about the Vietnam Boat People refugees, or something else?" A. (Janda) "Glad you asked that, Jimmy. Yes, the song came out around the time a lot of Vietnamese people were fleeing Vietnam in small boats and arriving in America, but the song is really about Tom Petty's battle with his record company, and having to file for bankruptcy to get out of a horrible contract and situation with his record company. (interview continues from there...)"

[@EvelynBaron]

@@jdaniels1313 I also like P of Rock and definitely Rick Beato and Wings of Pegasus not bad at all but don't get it, my bad, hope it works out. I just feel a cockiness about something she knows nothing about and did not research and that is everywhere on the internet. So show me something new ... or deep.

[@metamando]

I owned EVERY Tom Petty album at one time; then my then-girlfriend went to the pawn shop....I wonder if I still have this one.....Thank you, Janda!

[@behindthesongpodcast]

I hope you do! Thanks for watching!

[@DonJoyce]

Holy red light district, Batman! Cool lighting! Great story as usual, Janda! Off to listen to the full album...

[@damianwhite504]

You put so much work into these videos and this is brilliant

[@behindthesongpodcast]

Thank you!!

[@EvelynBaron]

@@behindthesongpodcast Best wishes you're getting really great advice from a really select bunch of people!!! Go for it!

[@michaeldrysch5177]

Awesome as always Janda!!! Thanks for the awesome backstory on this wonderful TP & THB's tune...And Thanks Christian for the beautiful mixing!!!

[@behindthesongpodcast]

Thanks Michael!

[@xrandy11]

To me "Refugee" is the quintessential rock song: great guitar riff, great guitar tone, righteous Hammond organ, minor chord progression and enigmatic lyrics. In regards to those lyrics one of the lines is very powerful due to it's inscrutability: "Tell me why you wanna lay there, revel in your abandon". I'm not sure what it means, and Petty probably didn't either as it defies a clear meaning, however it packs a serious emotive punch that matches the tense melancholy of the music. The fact that it defies rules of grammar just adds to the mystery (instead of using the correct noun abandonment he uses the verb form of the word) and just sounds, well cool.

[@aaronhaurum3951]

It means exactly what It says about becoming a martyr

[@aaronhaurum3951]

Wallow Wallow in self pitty

[@Caperhere]

If you take requests, would you please do an episode of “Walk’n In Memphis”? I watched American Epic yesterday, and one of the songs sang was written by WC Handy, who’s mentioned in WinM.

[@alexmartin2937]

I wonder who did the backing track it sounds phenomenal

[@marlenedryden9431]

Good story telling. Tom rules. Still. Your reporting shows respect and careful research. But when did Tommy stab a conference table with his knife? Hello from Neptune Beach Florida!

[@jchow5966]

Thank you -great content & presentation here!!!!!! ☮️

[@DavidMFChapman]

Another great story!

[@aaronhaurum3951]

His genius is missed

[@stevebrien1041]

My favourite Tom Petty song. They had a super unique sound that sounded early new wavish

[@charlesjones4089]

Bravo

[@emptynester9241]

I’m an interview Mike Campbell snickered and said Industry people assume Tom is a push over because he seems so laid back but man I tell ya Tom takes shit from nobody.

[@aaronhaurum3951]

Pettis wildflowers produced by Rick ŕubin also sister album wildflowers and the rest excellent

[@mrparlanejxtra]

Record labels and their supposed executives are pure evil.From what I see Y.T. aren't much better.

[@mrparlanejxtra]

You should have sang the lyrics. You would have a great singing voice but if you did they would be "petty" and take down your good work.