Taylor Swift Says She "Idolized" Tom Petty's Songwriting

"To me, Tom Petty represented a kind of songwriting I idolized: complex simplicity"

Photo: Rick Clifford

BY Sarah MurphyPublished Oct 5, 2017

The music world continues to mourn the loss of Tom Petty, and Taylor Swift is the latest artist to share her sympathies.
 
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Swift expressed her adulation for Petty's songcraft. "To me, Tom Petty represented a kind of songwriting I idolized: complex simplicity," she said.
 
"It said so much in the lyrics, the concepts, the stories, the message, the nuances... but always brought you back to a hook that got stuck in everyone's head," she continued. "He motivated thousands of guitarists to learn to play just because they wanted to be able to play 'Free Fallin.'' Count me as one of them."
 
Swift previously made her appreciation for Petty known when she covered his classic "American Girl" in 2009 during her Fearless tour. Listen to a recorded cover version below.
 
Other music stars like Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger have also shared their condolences for Petty. Read their tributes here.
 


Swift's upcoming album Reputation is due to arrive on November 10; it is available for pre-order now via Umusic.

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