Can you choose just one favorite Tom Petty song?

Informal newsroom poll shows the question is tough to answer

Tom Petty sang about an “American Girl,” but in reality, he himself was an American icon.

Petty died Monday at the age of 66 of cardiac arrest, just days after wrapping up a 40th anniversary tour with his band.

His music spanned decades, and resonated with many. He brought vivid characters to life, and wrote lyrics that stuck in our heads on auto-repeat for days.

And likely, what he most will be remembered for were those distinctive lyrics that were woven into the fabric of the last four decades.

His hits started with 1976’s Breakdown and American Girl, and ran through the decades — “I Need To Know,” “Here Comes My Girl,” “Don’t Do Me Like That,” “You Got Lucky,” “Learn’ to Fly,” “Into the Great Wide Open,” “You Don’t Know How It Feels” … this list just skims the surface of his legacy. And who can forget the crazy Alice in Wonderlandinspired video for “Don’t Come Around Here No More?”

Without question, Petty was a legend. But with so many iconic songs and lyrics, how do you pick a favorite?

We did a brief, informal poll around the Yuma Sun, and the favorite songs were all over the board. One Sun staffer loved “Yer So Bad,” another noted that “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” was his favorite. The vast majority of the building chose “Free Fallin’,” while a handful picked “I Won’t Back Down.”

But almost every single person that we asked who liked the singer struggled to pick a single favorite song, given the fact that his catalog of hits was so robust. That’s an indication of his place among music’s greatest, and how much he will be missed.

So we’re curious, Yuma. With the passing of Tom Petty, which of his iconic songs is your favorite? Let us know. Comment on this article online at www. YumaSun.com, or send us a Letter to the Editor at letters@yumasun.com.

DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS OR NOT?