Everyone gets songs stuck in their heads that just won’t go away. They sneak into your subconscious. They are epic earworms that you find yourself humming uncontrollably, singing in the shower, or tapping the beat to with your foot or ballpoint pen when you should be working. Sometimes they even keep you awake at night. Whether they are current hits, one-hit wonders, movie soundtrack gems, holiday favorites, or songs from your youth, their catchy vocals, riffs, hooks, and choruses seem to linger for days.
Here, those songs find a home, no matter the genre. Here, those epic earworms are revisited, explained, and celebrated. Here, you may find the song that haunts you tomorrow. Here is today’s unescapable song of the day…and the story behind it.
Today’s Epic Earworm: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers — (The Waiting”
Today’s epic earworm is the lead single from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ fourth studio album, Hard Promises. The song topped the Billboard Rock chart for six weeks in 1981 and peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It was the album’s only major hit and was largely responsible for Hard Promises being certified platinum.
It Really Is The Hardest Part
Petty claims the song’s inspiration came from a Janis Joplin quote about touring: “I love being onstage and everything else is just waiting.” He started writing the song and got the chorus and the guitar licks down quickly, but the verses just wouldn’t come. The 2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Famer spent weeks struggling to build out the rest of the song. He played the chorus and guitar riffs over and over, day after day, until the people around him started to complain.
Finally, bit by bit, the other lyrics started to come. After weeks of agonizing over the song, the persistence, anticipation, and waiting paid off. Petty took it on faith. He took it to heart. The waiting really was the hardest part.
