Tom Petty followed up his breakthrough, Damn the Torpedoes, two years later with 1981’s Hard Promises.
This album is best known for its role in a feud Petty waged against the recording industry. MCA Records wanted to charge $9.98 for the record, a dollar more than the usual price thanks to Petty’s star status. Petty fought the increase and delayed the album’s release. Eventually the studio relented and skipped the price hike.
What strikes me about that story is that you can still buy albums today (either on CD or digitally) for $9.99. Thirty years later the price point has barely budged. I suppose the MSRP for a new CD is much higher than that but stores such as Best Buy routinely puts new material on sale for less than $10. If only movie prices had stayed that stagnant.
Hard Promises was well-received critically but it doesn’t feature the sort of blockbuster lineup you find on Damn the Torpedoes. I’m unfamiliar with just about all of its songs. One track, ‘Insider,’ is a duet with Stevie Nicks recorded around the same time as ‘Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around‘ (which wound up on her album, Bella Donna).
The best known song is one of Petty’s most beloved singles — opening track ‘The Waiting.’ I saw Petty in concert in the late 80s and I vividly remember the crowd singing back the “Yeah yeahs” before each chorus. That was a great show… I’d love to see him again.
Don’t it feel like somethin’ from a dream
Yeah I’ve never known nothing quite like this
Don’t it feel like tonight might never be again
Baby, we know better than to try and pretend
Honey, no one could have ever told me bout this
The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part
Well yeah I might have chased a couple of women around
All it ever got me was down
Then there were those that made me feel good
But never as good as I feel right now
Baby you’re the only one thats ever known how
To make me wanna live like I wanna live now
The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you get one more yard
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part
Don’t let it kill you baby, don’t let it get to you
Don’t let em kill you baby, don’t let em get to you
I’ll be your breathin’ heart, Ill be your cryin’ fool
Don’t let this go to far, don’t let it get to you
Meet Me In Montauk 
Great story regarding the price hike. You have to appreciate an artist willing to take on the recording industry on behalf of his fans, even if it is only to save them a dollar.
I too am not really familiar with this album, except for this song.
And we really should keep an eye out for a Petty concert–it would be fun to go.
Unfortunately, we missed both his stop in Tampa last year and “Petty Fest” (http://www.tompetty.com/news/title/petty-fest-2011-returns-to-new-york-city-in-october-) just a few weeks ago in New York. Look at that line up! No other dates are currently announced đŸ˜¦
Love this song, though I only know it from the radio and concerts, as I don’t own this album. Still, it’s a classic.