The Tom Petty Estate has unveiled newly remixed, extended versions of two of the band’s most iconic tracks – “American Girl” and “Breakdown” – to mark the 50th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Both songs were remixed from the original 1976 multi-track tapes in Hi-Res audio and Dolby Atmos, giving fans a fresh way to hear two songs that have defined the band for half a century.
“American Girl,” recorded on July 4, 1976, remains a Fourth of July streaming staple and was recently featured in MLB’s celebration of the U.S. Semiquincentennial. “Breakdown,” the band’s debut single and first Top 40 hit, is famous both for its origin story – Petty wrote it in one late-night session and called the band back to the studio to record it before dawn – and for Mike Campbell’s instantly recognizable guitar riff.
Both tracks appear on the band’s self-titled debut album, also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year – an album critic David Fricke has praised as a record that still sounds fresh and confident decades later.
The new mixes arrive as part of the Petty Estate’s ongoing effort to preserve and extend Tom Petty’s legacy, nearly a decade after his passing in 2017.
Listen/save the new mixes here



