1976 Top Ten Songs: American Girl (#8)

Tweet

As I have frequently said throughout this month, and all the years I’ve been doing these birthday celebrations by looking back 40, 50, and now 60 and 70 years, it’s not my deliberate intention to make anyone feel old. Sorry, but this one is going to make you feel old. Grab your Geritol and let’s rock out to a song that’s now 50 years old. #8: American Girl - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Trust me, it was fun to drive on US 441 while blasting this song referencing “the cars roll by out on 441 like waves crashing on the beach.” US 441 starts in Rocky Top, Tennessee, goes through the Smoky Mountains, Asheville North Carolina, and into Tom Petty’s hometown of Gainesville, Florida…eventually ending nearly a thousand miles from Rocky Top in Miami, Florida. Worthless trivia: Tom Petty took guitar lessons from future/former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, who’s also from Gainesville. Do you know that this song was released twice as a single and bombed both times?! You probably can’t believe that, because everybody (EBDE*) knows this song. (*Everybody But Daddy Evil. ) It was used in Fast Times At Ridgemont High and Silence of the Lambs. And, if you turn classic rock FM on, you’re probably going to hear this today. Roll the windows down and crank this one up. That’s what it’s for, be it 1976, 2026, or 2446. American Girl Written by Tom Petty Recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers From Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1976 So close and still so far out of reach: