Don't Do Me Like That - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1979-80) 8/26/22

Did you know that before Tom Petty formed The Heartbreakers, he was in a Southern Rock band called Mudcrutch?

In 1974, Mudcrutch recorded a demo of one of Tom's songs that later became a "Great Song of 1979-80."

Nothing much came of the demo, so Tom pitched the song to the J. Geils Band, because, quite frankly, "Don't Do Me Like That" sounded like something they'd record.

But J. Geils turned it down, so Tom decided to hang onto the song for a while...which he did, right up until 1979 when The Heartbreakers were recording their third studio album, "Damn the Torpedos."

Producer Jimmy Iovine convinced Tom to add it to the album, and when it was released as a single, "Don't Do Me Like That" became The Heartbreakers' biggest--and only Top 10--hit! As 1979 gave way to 1980, the song peaked at #10 on the Hot 100, and in Canada, it reached #3 on the Top 40.

Billboard praised its "strong lyrical hook," and Cashbox loved it's "rock steady, engaging beat."Creem Magazine, on the other hand, called it a "throwaway romp."

Maybe, but fans and radio listeners LOVED Tom's "throwaway," and that's why "Don't Do Me Like That" became a "Great Song of both 1979 AND 1980!"