On this day in 1981, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' "The Waiting" held the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s newly created Rock Top Tracks chart (later renamed Mainstream Rock).
Released on April 20 as the lead single from the band’s fourth studio album, Hard Promises (dropped May 5), the song quickly climbed to the top and stayed there for four weeks. And even though the track about waiting didn’t wait very long to see success, writing it took weeks of trial, frustration, and persistence.
? SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox ?
View this post on InstagramAccording to Peter Bogdanovich’s 2007 documentary, Runnin’ Down a Dream, Petty wanted a song with “a little lick from the beginning.” Strumming the chord progression, he says, “I did that for weeks … and then, finally, I hit, The waiting is the hardest part / Every day, you get one more yard / You take it on faith, you take it to the heart / The waiting is the hardest part. I’d get to that, and then I’d go, ‘Now what?’ You eat dinner, you come back, sit down, pick up the guitar. People start banging on the wall. ‘Don’t play that anymore!’”
As for the lyrics, Petty credits another music legend, Janis Joplin, with sparking the initial idea. Years before, Joplin famously said, “I love being onstage, and everything else is just waiting.” It’s that line that Petty credits for inspiring “The Waiting.”
“I got it from the Janis Joplin quote,” he told Paul Zollo in the book Conversations with Tom Petty. “That’s where it stuck in my mind.”
One of rock’s first and greatest hits, the track was categorized by Rolling Stone as the pinnacle of the band's signature "golden twang" era — a nod to the guitar tones, optimistic lyrics, and sing-along chorus. Meanwhile, American Songwriter called it “one of the best call-and-response moments of the Heartbreakers’ entire catalog (and there’s a lot of ’em).”
It was so worth the wait.
Related: 1981 ‘Tense’ Collaboration Named One of the Greatest Classic Rock Team-Ups of All Time
Hence then, the article about 1981 timeless anthem inspired by janis joplin became one of rock s first no 1 hits was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 1981 Timeless Anthem Inspired by Janis Joplin Became One of Rock’s First No. 1 Hits )
Also on site :
- OpenAI paid $100 million for a talk show. James Murdoch is eyeing an even bigger deal. The hot new asset class is humanity
- The 4 Birth Months That Radiate Divine Love
- AI-related layoffs a boost for stocks? Not necessarily