Here Comes My Girl

"Here Comes My Girl"
Single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
from the album Damn the Torpedoes
B-side"Louisiana Rain"
ReleasedApril 7, 1980 (1980-04-07)
Recorded1979
Genre
Length4:27
LabelBackstreet
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers singles chronology
"Refugee"
(1980) 		"Here Comes My Girl"
(1980) 		"Even the Losers"
(1980)
Music video
"Here Comes My Girl" on YouTube

"Here Comes My Girl" is a song written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell, and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, their third single from their breakthrough hit 1979 album, Damn the Torpedoes. It peaked at number 59 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on May 24, 1980.[4]

Content

In a November 2003 interview with Songfacts, guitarist Mike Campbell explained the story behind "Here Comes My Girl":

It's very similar to "Refugee" - those two were written the same week. I made some demos and Tom liked those two. "Here Comes My Girl" was interesting because we had the chorus and Tom wasn't sure how to do the verse, he kept trying to sing it different ways and he finally came across sort of half-talking it, and that's when the song seemed to come to life.[5]

Petty remembers Campbell's chords and tune on a cassette tape, and struggling with the lyrics. Bassist Ron Blair told Petty that what he had was a "really good piece of music." Petty learned to use narration in the verses, similar to Blondie or The Shangri-Las. Petty said the chorus was inspired by The Byrds.

Reception

Cash Box called it a "truly excellent single" with a "convincingly honest narrative intro" and a "Byrds-like hook."[6] Record World called it a "raging ballad" and said that Petty's "tough talk/sing vocal swells into a pretty hook."[7]

Music video

The music video was directed by John Goodhue and was released in April 1980.

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1980) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Top Singles 82
New Zealand Singles Chart 41
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 59

Cover versions

References

  1. ^ "Here Comes My Girl - Tom Petty, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers | Song Info". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Rotondo, Andrea M. (February 12, 2014). Tom Petty: Rock 'n' Roll Guardian. Omnibus Press. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-85712-868-3.
  3. ^ Lewis, Randy (October 4, 2017). "Tom Petty's final interview: There was supposed to have been so much more". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 27, 2019. Classic-rock staples including "Breakdown," "American Girl," "Refugee," "Even the Losers," "Learning to Fly," "Listen to Her Heart," "Here Comes My Girl," "Walls," "Mary Jane's Last Dance."
  4. ^ Joel Whitburn, Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955-2010, Record Research, 2011.
  5. ^ "Mike Campbell". Songfacts. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  6. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 19, 1980. p. 22. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  7. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 26, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  8. ^ "Bass Player".