Tom Petty consistently crossed over to the pop charts in his heyday. These five songs were his biggest American hits.

We love Tom Petty’s music for countless reasons. Petty’s immense talent obviously played a big role. But he also possessed a knack for touching on topics and themes relevant to the lives of his fans.

For Tom Petty, the '80s began on complicated ground. Just before the new decade started, a significant conflict was struck up when Petty lost his publishing rights as the result of his original label, ...

A mathematician by training, he acquired a devoted following with songs that set sardonic lyrics to music that was often maddeningly cheerful. By Richard Severo and Peter Keepnews Tom Lehrer, the ...