# I think Tom Petty (RIP) is overrated **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2017, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783 "2017-10-14T04:22:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/41 "2017-10-15T17:23:26Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I get the sense that the sort of disdain expressed for Petty in this thread stems from the realization that a) he was very popular, b) sold a ton of records and c) had loads of enthusiastic fans, while d) More Deserving Artists Who I Have The Good Taste To Like Remain Relatively Unknown\*. > > \*for good reason. 🙂 I don’t know if disdain is the word. The title says what I wanted it to. Do you think TP is the only dude in these categories for me to focus on? Why would I single him out if he’s not in the upper percentile for any of these measures. Surely I could find someone else to resent who is more worthy. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/42 "2017-10-15T17:27:56Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > It’s curious to you that people say nice things about the recently deceased? > > Even since his death, I haven’t heard anyone claim that Tom Petty was America’s #1 Rock God or anything. What I have heard is that he had a long career making music that a lot of people found enjoyable, including a number of songs that would be well-known to anyone who listens to rock radio. That’s all true. From what little I know of him as an individual he also seems to have been a likable guy. That his music was often good but rarely great is, I suspect, a widely held opinion and one I happen to share, but the man’s been dead less than two weeks. He has an RIP thread. This is a different thread. The subject is his music, and not him as a person. I have heard immense love for Petty in quarters where I wouldn’t expect it. Like freeform radio stations and college stations etc. It surprises me. I’ts not meant to hurt TP to point it out. It’s just notable. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/43 "2017-10-15T17:31:49Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Some people think Prince was overrated. But no ones ever made a thread about it have they? Hmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/44 "2017-10-15T17:39:10Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I have heard immense love for Petty in quarters where I wouldn’t expect it. Like freeform radio stations and college stations etc. It surprises me. It’s not meant to hurt TP to point it out. It’s just notable. I don’t know that it’s “notable” – that Tom Petty was popular is hardly a surprise revelation. Even people in college have heard a lot of his stuff. My 18 year old heard that he died and talked about how much it sucked and he mainly listens to EDM. But he still knew and appreciated the “main” Tom Petty songs. Petty’s music was just part of a lot of different people’s lives. Anyway, I never was into The Replacements (certainly not to the point of using them as my baseline) so it’s no big deal. Just different people with different tastes in music. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/45 "2017-10-15T17:39:20Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I agree that Petty was above Lynne. Equal esteem, no. For me the ranking was > > Dylan > Harrison > Orbison > Petty > Lynne. > > I originally found it hard to believe that Bob would enter into this, but I knew he was best buds with George, and respected Roy. I never thought about it. But I have to say that to me Petty is the least of them, if it has to be said. Dylan Harrison Orbison are all immortals. Jeff Lynne has a longer more productive career, to my ears. Lynne wrote Do Ya, Mr Blue Sky, Night Rider, and on and on. I don’t think tom was in the same ballpark. He was basically a magpie. Too derivative to be hot or cool. But I am a song fetishist. It’s all about the melody to me. I think Petty failed there. Whenever I hear “Freefalling” I feel like I’m being forced to play it on guitar at gunpoint and I’m boring myself doing it, even with a gun at my head. It’s so boring. I can hear every little cop he’s making from all of his 60s records. It’s not a high level of creativity. And this is his habit over time. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/46 "2017-10-15T17:40:32Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I don’t know that it’s “notable” – that Tom Petty was popular is hardly a surprise revelation. Even people in college have heard a lot of his stuff. My 18 year old heard that he died and talked about how much it sucked and he mainly listens to EDM. But he still knew and appreciated the “main” Tom Petty songs. Petty’s music was just part of a lot of different people’s lives. > > Anyway, I never was into The Replacements (certainly not to the point of using them as my baseline) so it’s no big deal. Just different people with different tastes in music. I’m a listener to these stations, over decades now. It was notable to me. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/47 "2017-10-15T17:41:54Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I’m a listener to these stations, over decades now. It was notable to me. Ok, sure. But something notable to you and obvious to other people doesn’t leave much to talk about. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/48 "2017-10-15T17:49:21Z")
When a TP song comes on the radio, I usually flip to something else. I don’t hate the songs. It’s just that they get played too damn much and I’m kind of tired of them. The exception is “Last Dance for Mary Jane”. That song takes me back to some good memories. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/49 "2017-10-15T17:54:21Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Ok, sure. But something notable to you and obvious to other people doesn’t leave much to talk about. Well this is post #49. You’re here. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/50 "2017-10-15T17:57:17Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Well this is post #49. You’re here. But when the thread turns into “talking about the thread rather than the topic” it’s a good indication that the topic is played out 😉 ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/51 "2017-10-15T18:21:01Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > But when the thread turns into “talking about the thread rather than the topic” it’s a good indication that the topic is played out 😉 Oh c’mon. _ **You** _ brought up the thread as a topic. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/52 "2017-10-15T18:31:15Z")
Does “overrated” ever mean anything besides “I don’t like that music?” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/53 "2017-10-15T18:37:21Z")
**drad dog** , you’re welcome to come to the Pit: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=839025](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=839025) Anything I have to say about you and Tom Petty is better said there. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/54 "2017-10-15T18:38:04Z")
I didn’t like his music at all. Very boring and very derivative IMO. When one of his songs is played on the radio I turn the station or turn it off. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/55 "2017-10-15T18:55:20Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Does “overrated” ever mean anything besides “I don’t like that music?” Technically, it means “A lot of people like that but I don’t so they’re all wrong”. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/56 "2017-10-15T20:50:34Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Does “overrated” ever mean anything besides “I don’t like that music?” Does the phrase "Does “overrated” ever mean anything besides “I don’t like that music?” ever mean anything except, “I don’t agree with that person?” It gets quoted around here a lot. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/57 "2017-10-15T21:06:52Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Does the phrase "Does “overrated” ever mean anything besides “I don’t like that music?” ever mean anything except, “I don’t agree with that person?” > > It gets quoted around here a lot. Does claiming that “overrated” meaning “I don’t like that music” is just a way of saying “I don’t agree with that person” merely a way dodge the fact that it’s correct? Tom Petty was OK. Some really good songs…_American Girl_ is great. Did it upset you that people were saying nice things about him upon his passing? Because that’s what generally happens, and the people attracted to those threads are usually fans. Or did _Rolling Stone_ put him on the cover with the title “Most Greatest Rock & Roll Star Evah” or something like that? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/58 "2017-10-15T21:31:47Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Does claiming that “overrated” meaning “I don’t like that music” is just a way of saying “I don’t agree with that person” merely a way dodge the fact that it’s correct? > > Tom Petty was OK. Some really good songs…_American Girl_ is great. Did it upset you that people were saying nice things about him upon his passing? Because that’s what generally happens, and the people attracted to those threads are usually fans. Or did _Rolling Stone_ put him on the cover with the title “Most Greatest Rock & Roll Star Evah” or something like that? That what was correct? I got lost. It seemed to me that the time had come to talk about this. How on earth would I be upset because people were saying nice things about Tom Petty after he died? I’m not a sitcom character. I’ll change terms if you want. Overrated seems to be when someone rep is greater than his abilities. It doesn’t have to be a dodge or a smokescreen. Maybe it’s just overrated. In any case he is way too unimaginative and derivative for this not to be remarked on. I don’t see this message board as just good news for good doobies. It’s supposed to be intellectual, and open to different ideas. So I’m not going to not say something about Petty, just because it’s “too soon,” for someone who I don’t know, on the internet. If the deepest anyone can get on this topic is “Why do you hate successful musicians” then I guess this thread would have failed. I hope no one was offended by my asking them to give me TP songs to listen to. It wasn’t meant out of malice. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/59 "2017-10-15T21:49:26Z")
But, as pointed out, his reputation was “Consistently popular and widely known rock guy”. Which he was both, selling out large shows throughout his career and having a catalog where most people could say “Yeah, I know that song”. Your argument, such as it is, seems to be “I don’t think he should have been popular because I don’t care for much of his music”. That’s nice. Doesn’t mean he’s overrated though. People rating him on the fact that he was in fact popular and widely known are doing so correctly. You’re seemingly fighting against a reputation that doesn’t exist. No one here was saying that he was the most technically brilliant performer or pushed the boundaries of rock or was a Noble prize worthy poet. People are saying “Yeah, he was good and I really liked his stuff”. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/60 "2017-10-15T21:52:23Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > But, as pointed out, his reputation was “Consistently popular and widely known rock guy”. Which he was both, selling out large shows throughout his career and having a catalog where most people could say “Yeah, I know that song”. Your argument, such as it is, seems to be “I don’t think he should have been popular because I don’t care for much of his music”. That’s nice. Doesn’t mean he’s overrated though. People rating him on the fact that he was in fact popular and widely known are doing so correctly. He also had the respect of his peers. That should count as much as his popularity with his audiences. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783.md?page=4)