''Hard Promises'' is the fourth studio album by
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976. The band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer ...
released on May 5, 1981, on
Backstreet Records.
History
Its working title was ''Benmont's Revenge'', referring to keyboard player
Benmont Tench
Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Early years
Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin M ...
. The album features guest vocals from
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...
of
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
on the
duet
A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...
"Insider". The Heartbreakers also recorded the hit "
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" for Nicks' album ''
Bella Donna'' around the time ''Hard Promises'' was recorded.
This was the second Tom Petty album on the
Backstreet Records label. The album's release was delayed while Petty and his distributor
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...
argued about the list price. The album was slated to be the next MCA release with the new list price of $9.98, following
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Originally having a traditional band lineup, Becker and Fagen cho ...
's ''
Gaucho
A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, the southern part of Bolivia, and the south of Chilean Patago ...
'' and the
Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...
/
Electric Light Orchestra
The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood and drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangement ...
''
Xanadu'' soundtrack. This so-called "
superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98. Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album or naming it ''Eight Ninety-Eight'' were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase. The final title comes from a line in the chorus of "Insider."
''Hard Promises'' is the last full album to feature the original Heartbreakers lineup, as bassist
Ron Blair left after the album's release. He returned on ''
Mojo'', and he would make guest appearances on ''
Long After Dark
''Long After Dark'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on November 2, 1982, on Backstreet Records. Notable for the MTV hit " You Got Lucky", the album was also the band's first to feature ...
'' and ''
Southern Accents
''Southern Accents'' is the sixth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on March 26, 1985, through MCA Records. The album's lead single, " Don't Come Around Here No More", co-written by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, peaked ...
'' and, after rejoining the band in 2002, played on select tracks on ''
The Last DJ
''The Last DJ'' is the 11th studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The title track, "Money Becomes King", "Joe" and "Can't Stop the Sun" are all critical of greed in the music industry, which led to a song boycott by ...
''. He was replaced by
Howie Epstein, who continued to play until his removal in 2002 due to deteriorating health.
In 2000 it was voted number 968 in
Colin Larkin's ''
All Time Top 1000 Albums''.
John Lennon tribute

During the recording of the album,
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
was scheduled to be in the same studio at the same time. Petty was looking forward to meeting him when he came in. The meeting never occurred, as Lennon
was murdered before the date of his planned visit to the studio. Petty and the band paid tribute to the slain former
Beatle by etching "WE LOVE YOU J.L." in the runout
deadwax on early U.S. and Canadian pressings of ''Hard Promises''.
[Conversations with Tom Petty by Paul Zollo]
Track listing
Personnel
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
*
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...
– lead and backing vocals, guitar (acoustic; 12 and 6-string electric), bass and electric piano on "Something Big"
*
Mike Campbell – guitars (acoustic, electric, 12-string), bass,
auto-harp, accordion,
harmonium
The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...
*
Benmont Tench
Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Early years
Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin M ...
– organ, piano, backing vocals
*
Ron Blair – bass guitar
*
Stan Lynch – drums, backing vocals
Additional musicians
*
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...
– backing vocals on "Insider" and "You Can Still Change Your Mind"
*Lori Nicks – backing vocals on "Insider"
*Sharon Celani – backing vocals on "You Can Still Change Your Mind"
*
Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass guitar on "A Woman in Love"
*
Phil Jones – percussion
*Alan "Bugs" Weidel – piano on "Nightwatchman"
Production
* Brad Gilderman – assistant engineer
*
Jimmy Iovine
James Iovine ( ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, former Music executive, record executive, and media proprietor. He is the co-founder of Interscope Records and became chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscop ...
– producer
* Tom Petty – producer
*Tori Swenson – assistant engineer
*
Shelly Yakus – engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
Tom Petty albums
1981 albums
Albums produced by Jimmy Iovine
Albums produced by Tom Petty
Backstreet Records albums
Albums recorded at Sound City Studios