This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MMM chapter.

On October 2, 2017, the world lost a true musical genius and an icon. Tom Petty, 66, was an accomplished musician who rose to fame in bands such as, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and The Traveling Wilburys. He also had a successful solo career. Tom Petty passed away after being rushed to the hospital on Sunday, then was declared brain-dead on October 2 and as a result, was taken off life support. Tom’s music was always a go-to for me, whether it be walking to class, riding the subway, or on car trips (one of my favorites to sing in the car is Yer So Bad). Lyrically, he was a genius. Phrases such as, Take what you can/All you can carry/Take what you can/Leave the past behind and, Run away/Let your heart be your guide, are words that stuck with me long after the song had ended. Now, they will forever stick with me especially now that Tom has passed away.

Those lyrics, among others were ones that resonated with me each and every time I listened to his music on either Spotify, Apple Music, or on the vinyl records I got from my parents. Tom Petty was always the one artist that I had wanted to see in concert, but it looks like that dream will never become reality. Instead, his music will live on in the hearts of all of his fans. My parents were lucky enough to see Tom Petty perform in the 90s and said it was one of the greatest shows they had ever been to. My mom loved it because she said it was a concert that you could sing along to and every person in the audience knew every word to each one of his songs. I have listed 10 of my favorite Tom Petty tracks to honor the incomparable life and legacy that he has left on the musical world. So here’s to you Tom, thank you for all the years of lovely lyrics and groovy guitar work. You have learned to fly, you finally have your wings.

1. Yer So Bad