The Song That Needed 100 Takes: Tom Petty's 'We All Blamed Each Other'
(Image: Far Out / Ирина Лепнёва)
Tue 23 December 2025 18:00, UK
When you listen to Tom Petty's music, it's hard to imagine what kind of musician he would have become without his right-hand man, Mike Campbell. Petty himself said, 'Mike is the best in rock and roll. I’d be lost without him. We’ve played together since 1970, and I wouldn’t understand playing with anyone else.'
Both Campbell and Petty were incredibly talented musicians before they started working together. However, it was their collaboration that sparked their careers. Before this, they were experimenting with various rock 'n' roll styles, drawing inspiration from different artists and sounds.
Campbell found inspiration in Mick Taylor's pre-Rolling Stones era, listening to John Mayall's 'Oh Pretty Woman' with Taylor on guitar. They worked together on the album 'Crusade' (1967), and Campbell admitted that once he started listening, he couldn't stop. This influence bled into his guitar playing.
Campbell started recording ideas on a four-track tape recorder, which he used to pitch to Petty when they began writing together. Petty believed that getting the four-track was a turning point, as it allowed Campbell to layer his music and create exciting songs. One of these songs, 'Refugee', was an instant hit.
However, recording 'Refugee' proved challenging. The band struggled to capture the demo's essence in a live setting, as they were new to the studio environment. It took 100 takes to finish the track, but they knew it was worth it.
'We all blamed each other,' Campbell recalled, 'but we never doubted the song. We kept at it until, finally, we played it and said, 'Oh, that’s it.''
This story highlights the power of collaboration and the challenges of bringing a song to life. It's a reminder that sometimes, it takes many takes and a lot of effort to get it right.
