Album · Tom Petty
Hard Promises by Tom Petty
Hard Promises is an album by Tom Petty, released in 1981. 1 song from it has charted on rock radio countdowns, with 1 countdown appearance in total. The biggest is “Nightwatchman”, on 1 list with a best position of #84.
Hard Promises, the fourth studio album from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, finally reached stores on May 5, 1981, on Backstreet, after a standoff that turned Petty into a cause for record buyers. MCA wanted to sell it at its new $9.98 "superstar pricing", a dollar above the going rate; Petty fought it loudly in the press, and the label backed down, leaving it at $8.98.
The music was worth the fight. Jimmy Iovine produced, the working title was Benmont's Revenge, a nod to keyboard man Benmont Tench, and with Mike Campbell, Stan Lynch and Ron Blair the band rings like heartland rock at full stretch. "The Waiting" chimes and aches, "Nightwatchman" prowls, and Stevie Nicks drops in to duet on "Insider", the song that handed the album its title. Blair would be gone the following year.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Hard Promises on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nightwatchman | 1 | #84 | – | 1981 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.