WCSX Classic Cuts : Rebels
WCSX Classic Cuts
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: “Rebels”
The Hook: For Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, it evokes what it was like growing up in the south.
Year: 1985
Album: Southern Accents
Writer: Tom Petty
Stats: Peaked at number-five on Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart and number-74 on the Hot 100.
Background: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench says recording “Rebels” was a frustrating experience for him, but not because he didn’t think it was a great song. He tells us what he remembers most about the session that produced it.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench on what he remembers about recording “Rebels.” OC:…that song. :29
“Just trying really hard to get it to Tom’s satisfaction, which was incredibly difficult to do because he had something in his head that I don’t think we ever really got. And I know that must have been really frustrating for him. But I loved the song from the second he played it for me on the acoustic guitar. It evokes what it felt like down there growing up. It’s a very subtle song. And you can listen to it and find a lot of different layers. There’s a lot of defeat and sadness in that song.”
