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Song · Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

“American Girl” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

“American Girl” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers appears on 108 radio countdowns from 36 stations between 1982 and 2026. Its best result is #9 on the WMGK Philly 500 (2023). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #82 indie & aaa song of all time and #138 of the '70s.

108countdowns
36stations
#9best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1982–2026years charted

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American Girl

Video from YouTube (Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

Tom Petty wrote "American Girl" and cut it with the Heartbreakers for their self-titled 1976 debut, a restless song about longing for something bigger than the life at hand. Shelter put it out as a single in February 1977 and America shrugged: it missed the US chart and stalled at number 40 in the UK.

Time did the rest. It grew into one of his most popular songs and a classic-rock staple, often rated his finest, and film and TV keep reaching for it; Rolling Stone ranks it 169th among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was also the last song the band ever played live, closing the encore at the Hollywood Bowl on September 25, 2017, the final show of their 40th Anniversary Tour. Petty died just over a week later.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 80 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1991 241 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 431 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 317 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 419 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1997 468 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1997 737 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1998 333 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 163 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2001 191 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 427 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 395 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2004 245 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2004 416 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2007 224 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2009 177 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2010 45 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 407 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2011 467 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 172 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 471 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 48 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 813 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 278 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 238 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 327 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 416 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 104 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2014 423 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 197 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 820 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 248 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2016 306 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 230 WYEP WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 913
2016 291 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 604 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 203 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2017 75 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 303 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 17 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 63 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2018 69 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2018 301 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 55 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 236 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 57 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 52 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 99 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 274 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2019 125 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 274 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2020 49 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 194 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 31 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 85 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 208 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 55 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 54 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 25 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 67 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 431 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 83 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 49 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 112 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 93 WYEP WYEP 2021 Labor Day Countdown 168
2022 139 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 116 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 312 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2022 41 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 146 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 137 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 300 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 165 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 37 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 56 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 76 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2023 72 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 116 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 194 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 384 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 42 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 27 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 468 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 9 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 419 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 154 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 26 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 43 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 21 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 415 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 118 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 36 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 466 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 36 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 382 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2025 61 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2025 378 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 74 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 104 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 66 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 458 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 68 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800
2026 192 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 63 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500
2026 185 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 350 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 U-Man 500 (2026) 499
2026 45 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 31 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500

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