| "Don't Do Me Like That" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 U.S. 7" vinyl | ||||
| Single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | ||||
| from the album Damn the Torpedoes | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | November 5, 1979 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:44 | |||
| Label | Backstreet | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tom Petty | |||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Iovine | |||
| Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Don't Do Me Like That" is a song by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on November 5, 1979 as the lead single from their third studio album, Damn the Torpedoes. Written by the band's eponymous frontman, the song was first recorded as a demo with his band, Mudcrutch, in 1974. Tom Petty considered giving the song to The J. Geils Band, but producer Jimmy Iovine convinced him to include it on Damn the Torpedoes.[4]
The single is one of the band's most popular in North America, and is their only song to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.[5] It was even more popular in Canada, peaking at No. 3, but in the UK, despite airplay by Capital Radio in the summer of 1980, the track failed to make the Top 75 chart.
Petty wrote the song and recorded a demo version with his previous band Mudcrutch in 1974. At one point he strongly considered giving the song to The J. Geils Band because he thought it had their sound. During the Damn the Torpedoes sessions he was convinced by producer Jimmy Iovine to include it on the album because he sensed it would be a hit.[6]
Billboard praised the song for its "strong lyrical hook backed up by some solid mid to fast rock instrumentation" and its "urgent" vocal.[7] Cash Box said that it "bounces along to a rock steady, engaging beat, bopping hook, staccato guitar chords with lively production".[8] Record World called the hook "irresistible".[9]
The Fort Worth Star Telegram rated it to be the 4th best single of 1979.[10]
