What a terrible day that was. I have been busy lately but try to "come by" as often as I can to listen to many wonderful contributions to the forum. I was so sad to lose Tom Petty (after waking to hear about the Vegas massacre). I loved his music and his energy. Only recently have I watched the documentary Running Down a Dream and realized that he was such a cool guy as well. We've lost so many great ones lately. It's truly heartbreaking. I'd love to get your feedback on the song (you are my only audience). Hope you enjoy. I'll post the lyrics soon. Take care all! Greg

https://soundcloud.com/gjohnson-2/oct-22017

Great job Greg!

You're saying a lot of what I've been feeling.

What a terrible day

i thought about trying to do something but I don't really

do the TP sound. I reference his writing and ideas all the time

so he's in many of my songs even if it's not apparent to others.

nice mix, great solo, the song sounds kinda like the Heartbreakers

thanks for sharing this and sharing your feelings about a great guy

that left us way too soon. I feel like we're losing something so precious,

that there will be no one to replace these people who gave us magic.

Good tribute song! Really nice lyrical touches, and musical nods.

Very well done. I really enjoyed this.

What a sad thing about Tom though. I sure am going to miss him as well.

What a force of nature he was.

Greg,
The chorus ( great harmonies!) on this song is beautiful-reminds me why you are one of my favourite vocalists on this forum.
Though not a huge Tom Petty fan I can relate to these fine lines:

I remember loving American Girl
when rock`n roll was a force in the world
nowadays music is so absurd
what are we gonna do
now we`ve lost you too

you`ve channelled a sad feeling into a very good song; I hope doing that helps you keep going.

Robert

You sang what we've all being thinking, Greg. A beautiful tribute, and just overall a beautiful song. It's certainly sad times lately, we can all agree.

Thanks for sharing this touching song with us

Greg,

A nice tribute. A sad day. Damn The Torpedoes is one of my all-time favorite records. I put it on the other day, closed my eyes and let Tom & the HBs wash over me. This song continues that...

A beautiful write. The chorus melody is a true delight - much like TPs choruses always are (were). So very catchy! Excellent instrumentation and mix.

Your vocal is in-the-pocket - full of the feeling of loss. The harmony/echoes are superb.

Another killer from you.

floyd

One thing I forgot to mention is a know a guy who was around Tom Petty when he was really young in Gainesville, and was playing with other people on the scene. He said, and this is pretty much verbatim:

"Whenever Tom Petty walked into a room, everything stopped. He just had this look and this aura about him that said 'you guys have just been clowning around but I'm about to show you how it's done.' And you could also distinctly hear him saying, without speaking a word, 'Oh, and by the way I plan on completely dominating the entire rock and roll planet even though no one knows me yet. But I will be one of the most famous people you have ever heard of.' And so he did, and so he was."

The guy said he acted that way from the time he was a teenager and hardly knew how to play.

I just thought that was funny.

Certainly can hear the influence.
Nicely done.
Rob

Hi, Greg !:))

One of your best
without doubt that
is for sure !!!

Liked everything about it !

Cheers
Dani

Greg, what a great tribute! You did an absolutely fantastic job on this! The vocal work could not be done any better (along with those awesome background vocals)! I was amazed at how great this track sounds! Tom has been remembered and honored with this! Thanks, Torrey

Super tribute Greg. I am with Robert on this one. You are definitely one of my favorite vocalists as well on the forum. Another super vocal and lyric. The loss of Tom Petty will be felt for a long time to come. The world is in a very strange state right now. It does not seem real with the constant devastating news that just continues to come. So glad to have such enjoyable music to visit and escape from the everyday chaos..

Thanks Kenny! Appreciate the kind words. I can hear a lot of Petty influence in your music-there's a heartland sound and a wonderful honesty that reminds me of him. Loved your new one (along with many, many others!) Take care. Greg

Greg,

A perfect song for the occasion. Your vocal is outstanding on this. Take a bow ... you are entitled to one. Big kudos! This is really a super song - nuff said.

Alan

Thanks David. Much appreciated! Yes, I will miss Tom Petty, along with all of the other greats lost in the past year or two. You've been doing some really great stuff lately! Take care. Greg

Great tribute, Greg. It also has a Don Henley "End Of The Innocence" vibe. I think that might be apropos.

Yes, that was truly sad news.
Tom Petty was one of our favorites too (Free Falling, such a great song among many, and Refugee of course).
But man, your song is truly great in all aspects. We really loooooove your backing vocals here.
And of course the lead vocal and the guitar work are gorgeous!

Rob and Anne-Marie

Wonderful job Greg. I didn't hear about it till later in the day. I have a grandson living in Vegas, so I was naturally concerned with making sure he and his wife were OK. You did amazing work on this. I am impressed!

Greg, this is a great song sung with a lot of passion. Great mix, lyrics and vocals make this a super tribute.

Yes we are losing a lot of musicians these days and it is sad. But the message that should be heard is stay away from drugs and cigarettes and use alcohol in moderation. YMMV

Regardless this is one fantastic song.

Excellent harmonies.

Thanks for the kind words Robert. I really appreciate them! I'm glad a song came out of this tragedy. Such a sad time these days. Really loved your new one! Take care. Greg

Hello, Greg

Very beautiful melody with pleasant and unique chord progression!
Your vocal is also very nice.
Your are a really great vocalist!
The incident in Las Vegas was truly a misery. It was widely reported also in Japan.
Meanwhile, Tom Petty was little known in Japan, so I first realized he died.
Losing an artist you love and respect is truly a painful and sad thing.
This tune is a really great tribute.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Greg,

This is a wonderful composition and production. Everything about this sounds excellent and the end result is so brilliantly polished.

When you work in this genre, you really own it!

Such a great tribute and so well done!

All the best,
Noel

We have very little to add to what has already been said.

Glen Frey, then Gregg and now Tom. Artists that the two of us have listened to regularly for close to 40 years. We have watched the documentary you mentioned three times over the years. It is well worth ANY music lovers' time.

We're not gonna parse out your song...it just doesn't seem fitting at this point.

Your production, all of it, speak so well to such a tremendous loss to the music world.

We hope a lot of folks get to hear this.

Thanks for creating this.

J&B

I was out of the country when I heard the news, quite a shock to say the least. I have seen that documentary too, I agree, in addition to being a great songwriter and performer he was a very cool guy.

Greg, this is just SO GOOD!! Vocals are as good as it gets, and love your lyrics too.

Greg

Great song and great tribute. Thanks for this marvelous contribution.

Another stellar performance.

Thanks so much Deryk. I'm really glad to see you and other PG staff contributing to the forum. Thanks for your kind words! Take care. Greg

Thanks Floyd. Your kind words and wonderful support are always very valued and appreciated! Love your new one!! Take care. Greg

Great tribute song. I'm glad you captured the feeling for us. We lost a great artist that day.

SD

Thanks David! And thanks for the story. In watching the documentary, I could see that kind of star power in the young Petty. I spent some time with Adam Duritz from Counting Crows when we were young. He also seemed to know he would make it big. Confidence can go a long way! Take care. Greg

Thanks Rob! Great to see you around consistently again!! Take care. Greg

What a lovely tribute! We've lost so many amazing artists over the past year, but I think your tribute does them justice. I think we were all shocked when we heard about Tom Petty, and his passing will be felt deeply and for quite some time, I am sure.

Beautiful, beautiful song. <3

Thanks Dani! Great to see you around the forum lately! Always love to hear your stuff! Take care. Greg

Thanks so much for the kind words Torrey. You killed it on your last post!! Amazing! Take care. Greg

Greg
Lot's of excellent comments just wanted to add to them. Great work all round. Stunning vocal - lovely harmony and a wonderful lyric.

Peter

Thanks for those incredibly kind words Scott! They mean so much to me. Take care. Greg

Very very kind of you guys Al! Love your new Elton John style tune! Take care. Greg

Thanks John! And, any comparison to Henley is the greatest compliment I could get. Appreciate your kind words! Take care. Greg

Thanks so much R and AM! A compliment on vocals from you guys is treasured as your vocals are absolutely amazing! Take care. Greg

Thanks so much! Appreciate your very nice comments. Take care. Greg

Thanks Mario! Yeah, addiction is sad. And so many brilliant people fall prey to it. Appreciate your kindness! Take care. Greg

Thanks Ray! I love harmonies. Take care. Greg

Thanks Shigeki! Always love hearing your stuff-always a treat! Take care. Greg

Thanks so much Noel! Very much appreciate your nice comments. Take care. Greg

Thank Dave for your extremely kind comments! Always love hearing what you do! Take care. Greg

Thanks so much Trevor. I really appreciate your wonderful consistent support! Means a lot to me. Take care. Greg

BTW, when are we going to hear another one from you?