Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around!

It’s hard to think about what you’ve wanted
It’s hard to think about what you’ve lost
This doesn’t have to be the big get even
This doesn’t have to be anything at all

Lyrics from “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few days, you will have heard about the awful craziness that happened on Sunday night:

WTF – 23 guns in Stephen Paddock’s hotel room, 59 people shot dead (including himself) and another 527 other people hurt? I mean, WHAT THE HELL MAN?!?! And oh by the way, authorities also found ingredients for an Oklahoma City style bomb in his car, enough other weapons to bring the total to 42 and, yeah, even more explosives. And, crazily enough, that wasn’t actually automatic weapons fire all of us heard on the news, but rather fire from guns adapted with something called a “bump stock” – WHICH ARE PERFECTLY LEGAL TO OWN! Well, chock up another victory for the NRA!!!

People running ’round loose in the world
Ain’t got nothin’ better to do
Than make a meal of some bright eyed kid
You need someone looking after you

Lyrics from “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”

And, as if the news out of Las Vegas wasn’t bad enough, my Tuesday began with the news that, after suffering cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu early Monday morning, Rock Legend Tom Petty died later that night. Good grief!

Tom Petty made some truly memorable songs, many of which are featured in the Rolling Stones article I linked to above, but whenever I hear his name my mind always goes back to the classic song that first introduced me to his magic:

That video is from 1981, but I highly recommend the much longer (12:13) version at TOM PETTY presents THE HEARTBREAKERS & STEVIE NICKS (Live Hyde Park 2017) as well.

Ther are so many videos of Tom Petty’s great songs that I could post, but, because it was such a reminder of the onset of my depression, this is one I feel compelled to include:

Yeah, you buckle with the weight of the words
Stop draggin’ my
Stop draggin’ my
Stop draggin’ my heart around

Lyrics from “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”

Tom Petty was also famous for the many great on-stage performances he did alongside other rock legends, such as the following tribute to George Harrison at the 2004 Hall of Fame Inductions:

A now fallen Rock Legend performing both with and for other fallen Rock Legends? It’s hard to imagine a greater closing salute.

I want to thank William at A 1000 Mistakes for including that amazing video in his Remembering: Tom Petty post. There’s a whole boatload of great music there as well. You really should check it out.

Tom Petty will most certainly be missed. Now enough with the draggin’ my heart around bullshit!

I want ice water.

More from the Random Ravings volume