Tom Petty Believed This Elvis Presley Hit Could’ve Been the National Anthem

Like many in Tom Petty‘s generation, he revered Elvis Presley to no end. From a young age, he saw The King as befitting his title–an otherworldly figure who epitomized the American dream. He even saw his music as representational of the country as a whole. So much so, that he thought one of Presley’s hits could’ve been a second national anthem. Find out which Presley hit Petty was referencing, below.

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Petty’s Love for The King

Petty was just 10-years-old when his uncle got a job on the set of Presley’s film, Follow That Dream. Petty once recalled the moment he saw the musician in the flesh for the first time.

“He arrived in a fleet of white Cadillacs,” Petty once said. “People were screaming, handing records over a chain-link fence for him to sign. I remember his hair was so black that the sunshine was glowing off of it.”

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This moment likely only solidified how in awe of The King Petty was. His music later became a driving force in Petty’s young life, eventually leading him to forge his own career in the same industry.

Tom Petty Thought This Elvis Presley Hit Could’ve Been the National Anthem

Well, that’s all right, mama
That’s all right for you
That’s all right, mama, just anyway you do
Well, that’s all right, that’s all right
That’s all right now, mama, anyway you do

When talking about his favorite Presley songs, Petty once gave major props to “That’s All Right”, an early cover track recorded at Sun Records.

“It could have been the national anthem,” Petty once said of Presley’s “That’s All Right”. “It rocks, and when the piano comes in, it starts to roll in this really sensual way. The track is very spooky and very empty – there’s just bass and a little piano, with D.J. Fontana playing the deepest groove.”

“Elvis and his band were fooling around at the end of a session at Sun with this song, and Sam Phillips heard it right away,” Petty continued elsewhere. “It was a pretty obscure Arthur Crudup song, and it’s incredible to me that Elvis knew it. He really put his own whack on it. He sings with a hiccup in the timing – I don’t know where that came from. The Sun stuff is really high art. It’s so pure, and that sense of discovery is there.”

Presley’s early records showcase his raw talent. Though his later material became more polished and production heavy, songs like ‘That’s All Right” feel like bottling up someone’s potential. It has got a staunch energy to it that only comes from someone who isn’t trying to be perfect. He was singing as a passion. There are no industry expectations in sight in “That’s All Right.” Revisit this Presley hit that Petty loved, below.

Well, mama, she done told me
Papa done told me too
“Son, that gal you’re foolin’ with, she ain’t no good for you”
But that’s all right, that’s all right
That’s all right now, mama, anyway you do

I’m leavin’ town, baby
I’m leavin’ town for sure
Well, then you won’t be bothered with me hangin’ ’round your door
But that’s all right, that’s all right
That’s all right now, mama, anyway you do

(Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)