Refugee • Tom Petty

Refugee. Sometimes you’re just in the mood for a good rock and roll song. This is a good one! Classic Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. 

My most enjoyable memory associated with this song is being on a Spring Break canoe trip on the Colorado River back in the early 80s with a bunch of friends. At one point we encountered a sandbar in the middle of the river where there was an old broken down wooden bench. Several of us guys stood outside the canoes, and sat on the bench. Someone turned on this song really loud from their boat, so we began lip-syncing and performing the song using canoe paddles as guitars! Silly memory I guess, but a fun song! 

Actually this was their second Top 20 hit, peaking at #15 (following Don’t Do Me Like That). It was released in Jan 1980 from the Damn The Torpedoes LP. The album made it to #2 in the U.S. for 7 straight weeks (kept from #1 by Pink Floyd’s The Wall!). 

According to Songfacts, Tom Petty said of this song: "This was a reaction to the pressures of the music business, a huge conflict with ABC Records...” who tried to sell his contract. He goes on “...I was so angry with the whole system that I think that had a lot to do with the tone of the Damn the Torpedoes album. I was in this defiant mood. I wasn't so conscious of it then, but I can look back and see what was happening.” 

Anyway, made for an amazing record. Click the links below and enjoy...