![]() We just had a hard time getting the feel right. ![]() He (Tom Petty) wrote over the music as it was, no changes, but it took us forever to actually cut the track. It was a 4-track that I made at my house. In a November 2003 interview with Songfacts, Campbell described the recording sessions for "Refugee": The song's co-writer Mike Campbell said "Refugee" was one of the first songs he wrote, and recounted, 'I just wrote the music and handed it to Tom and he put the words over it, and when he did he found a way to make the chorus lift up without changing chords.' 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. " Refugee" is a song recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, was released in January 1980 as the second single from their album Damn the Torpedoes, and peaking at No. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers singles chronology Single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers "Refugee" - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Song A.1980 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers "Refugee".Send in your requests for song analysis, but be sure to add a link to the YouTube video. All of the performances here are great, but I especially like organist Benmont Tench because what he plays really makes the song. They play together as a single unit with plenty of dynamics that's a shining example for bands everywhere. This allows engineer Shelly Yakus to use a large amount without it sticking out or being noticeable.Īs said before, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are an outstanding band. It sounds like only a single reverb is used on the mix and it's slightly delayed (doesn't sound like it's timed to the track though) with the high and low end filtered a lot. It's not to my taste but it works well for the song. The snare is very EQed, with a lot of bottom and crispness added, so it's larger than life sounding. Everything except the snare sounds big and natural, and you never hear a compressor working anywhere. The sound was state-of-the-art when it was recorded in 1979 and it's still that today. The only thing fancy in this song is the doubled lead vocal in the bridge, and the fact that the first half of the solo is by the organ, followed by the guitar. In the last half of the verse, the band gets louder as the guitar kicks in, and in the chorus, the guitars go back to what they played in the intro (but they're lower in the mix) and the background vocals answer the lead vocal. In the intro, the full band is playing with the lead guitar, then in the verse, it's just the organ and rhythm section with rhythm guitar strums every four bars. The song builds and develops in a classic way that every band should learn. * The Fills - Once again it's Campbell in the verses and the background vocal answers in the chorus. * The Lead - TP's lead vocal, and Mike Campbell's tasty guitar in the intro and solo. * The Rhythm - There's a shaker (played by session drummer Jim Keltner) that's back in the mix a bit so it's not obvious, but it really pushes the song along with a double-time feel. * The Pad - You can't get a better pad element than a Hammond B-3, and that's what you hear here. * The Foundation - As with most songs, the foundation element for "Refugee" is held down by the drums and bass. Let's look at the arrangement elements ( check out this link for a full description of what they are): TP and the Heartbreakers have always been a great live band, and this song shows why, as the playing breathes with the song, pushing it to a peak in the bridge, and bringing it back down to a quiet third verse. The only thing that strikes me a bit funny is that the last verse is a repeat of the the first one.Īs with most hits, the dynamics in the song are great, but unlike other songs, they're not created by additional overdub layers but by real dynamic playing of the band. If fact, it's pretty well written, with a strong melody and hook. ![]() The formula doesn't make it a bad song though. It just doesn't get any more formulaic than that. ![]() Intro (with guitar solo), Verse, Half-Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Solo, Verse, Chorus, Outchorus ![]()
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