Geoff Tate’s The 5: The Five Greatest Tom Petty Songs to Listen to While High
Comedian Geoff Tate’s new album, People Are What People Make ‘Em is out on brand new comedy label, Blonde Medicine. A Cincinnati-based comedian, Geoff Tate has appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and regularly tours with Doug Benson and Doug Stanhope. He made his television debut on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, and is a regular on Doug Loves Movies and Getting Doug with High. He has two albums available at the Doug Stanhope store and he’s the host of the popular geofftate’s MSHD PODCASTO, in which he discusses topical Cheers-related issues, gets his dad to try things, talks to people he graduated with, forces Emma Arnold to host her own show and just has a good time. Order People Are What People Make ‘Em on iTunes, Amazon and everywhere albums are available.
This is a list of my five favorite Tom Petty songs to be high during. Now, i’m sure y’all have your own list and I’m certain you’ll have complaints about my list. I do not say this lightly though: this list is definitive*. you can make your own, wrong list and email me (geofftate77@gmail.com) and I will let you know on a 1-100 scale how wrong your list is. I’ve spent the last 20 years immersed in field studies. I’ve done the research.
1. “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” from GREATEST HITS – I’m gonna get the obvious one outta the way first. my brother encouraged me to include a song you don’t have to be a huge petty fan to know. Plus, it’s got a dope riff, it’s fun to sing along to, you can rap q-tip’s verse from the Beastie Boy’s song “Get It Together” over the riff. As a bonus, that last guitar solo that plays like an outro (usually cut from the radio version) is tom petty playing a rare lead part. this song should be listened to with the windows down.
2. “My Life/Your World” from LET ME UP (I’VE HAD ENOUGH) – This track has probably the tightest groove of any petty song. it’s up there with like “Billie Jean” or whatever. it also has the best advice: if there’s some sunshine, baby, I’m gonna get out in it.
3. “Supernatural Radio” from SHE’S THE ONE – This song is wild, like a 1950’s version of an X Files episode where transmissions from outer space are being picked up by a pickup truck radio tuned to the rock station. It should be listened to on ? to get the full effect. Petty hollering out like a tent preacher lines like RAW POWER and HUNDRED MILLION WATTS and I CAN HEAR JESUS SINGING is why this makes the list.
4. “You Come Through” from NOBODY’S CHILDREN – this song is an outtake from around 1994. it’s a slightly different sound than usual but unmistakably petty. y’all probably know how Robert Plant has a couple different singing voices and sometimes he uses them in the same song, like on “What Is And What Should Never Be”, but most don’t know petty has several himself and uses the range to great effect here. you’ll see what I mean. listen to this first on ?. Lenny Kravitz is the drummer. he does some jabbering at the end under the music like a heartbreakers hype man. it’s pretty great.
5. “House In The Woods” from WILDFLOWERS – This is my favorite petty song to be high during. the second half of the song is like 3 minutes of the same 4 measures down over and over. I once cut it and looped it and made a cd that was 75 minutes of just this. Time doesn’t exist when this plays. It’s music you can swim in. Music you can get lost in. This should be listened to every day in any way.
“You Wreck Me” was a late scratch. the best version to be high during is a live version done 2003 or later. The whole 2006 Gainesville show is on youtube. They do it there.
*I’m just fucking around on this being definitive but I definitely want y’all to email me your top 5 songs by whoever to be high during.
Enjoy.
