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I just don't know where to begin with Tom Petty. He's easy to take for granted. Maybe it's because he's written such consistently rock-solid material for so long. Maybe it's because The Heartbreakers had such seamless chemistry that they never needed to be flashy or hyper. Maybe it's because his songs were part of my musical DNA before I could play a D chord. But once I could play a D chord (and the amateur's versions of Dsus4 and D9), I learned how to play my first song, circa 2005. And yes, like so many other fledging 6-stringers, my first song was "Free Fallin'." One of the few songs I've heard to death, at open mics and on the radio, that still hits my core. "There's a freeway running through the yard." Ouch. Fast forward to 2008, the opening chords of "American Girl" are ringing through the television.The "Flying V" stage is interlocking with the "Heart" stage as the Super Bowl audience storms the field. If I can pinpoint a moment of knowing I wanted to play guitar, it was Petty's Super Bowl halftime show. On the ultimate stage of rampant consumerism, Petty just stood there and sang his songs. No fireworks. "God, it's so painful when something that's so close is still so far out of reach." And then there's Steve Ferrone on the drums. When I did my first recording sessions in 2011, I didn't have a band, the producer hired Steve as my drummer in the studio. Thank god I hadn't gotten deep into Petty fandom yet, because I wouldn't have been able to focus at all. In retrospect, I get to freak out that Petty's drummer is on my first record. In my first year of college, 2014, I fell head over heels for Petty. Anyone who knew me then can tell you how I would go on and on about how, even though "London Calling" is the greatest overall album, the first side of "Damn The Torpedoes" is the best side of any LP. Yeah, I think I might still argue that. Discovering Petty's catalog is a treasure trove. And when I discovered "Walls," I literally drove an hour out of my way to be able to listen to that song on repeat during the trip. So simple, so elemental. I got to see the band three times. Twice in August 2017, just a month before he passed. He's easy to take for granted because his songs are so damn good that they almost sound like they always existed. But Petty animated them, with understated eloquence, and genuine warmth. A true believer, undeterred by the noise. I feel so lucky that his songs have woven into the lifeblood of my listening experience. So thankful for the people I've connected to through his music. Trying to explain to any poor soul within earshot how the repeated higher-register chorus line of "Even The Losers" at 3:25 made me feel such uplift, equal parts hope and empowerment, the perfect expression of the outcast misfit finally finding his pack. Listening to "Square One" on repeat with my suite-mate deep into the night in a New England dorm ("can't sell your soul for peace of mind"), because yes, being friends with me entails great patience for repeat listening. Obsessing with a fellow zealot over how Petty did "Crawling Back To You" during his final tour, even though it was almost all hits otherwise ("most things I worry about never happen anyway"). Derailing a co-writing session to strum along to the title track of "Echo" and discuss how that may be his best album, even though he largely disowned it. Doing a pick-up gig with a friend in Livermore with little to no prep, and finding that Petty songs were our safest bet for avoiding a train wreck, as he was the majority of the overlapping section of our song Venn Diagram. But my gratitude is also for the moments Petty's music architected for me to share with myself. Listening to "The Waiting" at full blast and thinking about a certain significant other across seas and hoping that the titular line was true. Watching footage of mid-80's performances of "The Waiting" where Petty did the first two verses and choruses solo and feeling the overwhelming triumph of rock when the band crashed into the bridge. Along with Ferrone, I've been fortunate to have conversations with Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench. Their humility and engagement gave me all the more reason to love a band that is already in the upper echelon of my Pantheon, and confidence that the man behind the music was all that I imagine. Thanks Tom. Doing what I can to honor the blueprints and the treasure maps you left behind - Matt J

In Front of the Camera: Matt Jaffe
Behind the Camera: Elisabeth Jaffe

Website: http://www.MattJaffeMusic.com
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Lyrics omitted to allow space for the looong description above (YouTube only permits so many characters).