Top ten best deep cuts by Tom Petty

No. 11 - “WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY LIFE” (1979)

Damn the Torpedoes features the career-making “Refugee,” as well as quality tunes like the proto-emo “Even the Losers,” the earworm “Don’t Do Me Like That,” and the ragged puppy-dog love song “Here Comes My Girl.” So it’s easy for some of its other songs to get lost in the shuffle.

“What Are You Doing in My Life” is a blues rocker that showcases one of the Heartbreaker’s primary weapons – Benmont Tench – pounding away on the piano. This is highly representative of the dichotomy found in early Petty – somehow managing to be ragged and tight at the same time, while also blending righteous anger into a great pop tune. Damn the Torpedoes marked the entrance of producer Jimmy Iovine into Petty’s life, and the music takes a step forward from his first two albums as a result.

No. 10 - “ZERO FROM OUTER SPACE” (1996)

Edward Burns' 1996 rom-com She’s the One was nothing special. Sure, it had Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz, but the best thing about it some thirty years on was the soundtrack, which Petty would release as his ninth studio album.

“Zero From Outer Space” is a grungy blues rocker that comes about as close as Petty ever would to ZZ Top. This is also kind of the flip side of “Even the Losers.” Whereas that was a heartfelt paean to the romantically downtrodden, this one is an unabashed anthem, raucous and unapologetic as it glories in being a nobody. It’s a great rock and roll subject and a great rock and roll song.