Tom Petty rejected Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell’s tape, allowing Don Henley to record “The Boys of Summer,” one of his most successful solo compositions, in 1984.
Mike Campbell worked as Tom Petty’s right-hand man for many years. They were an impressive songwriting duo. Even though he worked with other musicians outside The Heartbreakers, such as Stevie Nicks. Campbell always went to Petty first when he had a concept for a song. Nonetheless, Petty was his superior and had the last say.
The Heartbreakers had to operate inside a strict framework. Tom Petty and Campbell had planned Southern Accents, the album they were producing in 1983, to be a concept record. Even if they wrote amazing songs, they wouldn’t fit on Southern Accents unless their music matched the album’s heartland rock mood. One of the clearest instances of this method is Campbell’s song “The Boys of Summer.” It was written with The Heartbreakers in mind.
After declining the deal, Petty remained determined to get the song out and began seeking a performer to use his tune. Even though he had never met Don Henley of the Eagles, the song found its way to him. With the assistance of producer Jimmy Iovine, it became a hit.
The song came into the hands of the Eagles‘ frontman because Iovine was friends with Henley and was closely involved with The Heartbreakers. Campbell stated, “In Tom’s defense when I reached the chorus, I switched to a different chord. It sounded like a minor chord. As the song concludes, the chorus transitions to that massive major chord. It lifts. So he heard a somewhat lesser version. And I remember we were grooving to it, and it got to that chord, and Jimmy Iovine said, ‘Eh, it sounds like jazz.'”
The response “completely deflated” Campbell, but he also realized Iovine was correct. He then changed the chorus chords and added them to the demo. Then, when Henley was looking for music for what would become Building the Perfect Beast, Iovine contacted and asked him to play it for him. Campbell agreed and handed the tape to the former Eagles drummer’s home. He reasoned that Petty, despite the altered chords, was “probably fed up with it” and had plenty of other tunes to work with.
Campbell stated, “It was just me and him. We sat at a large table. He sat at the opposite end, like a judge, completely silent and unflappable, listening with his eyes closed. He then remarked, ‘Okay, maybe I can do something with that.'”
Campbell received a phone call from Henley, who said, “Oh, I just wrote the best song of my life to your music.” He said, “Really?” I would want to hear that.
Campbell had to relearn all of the guitar lines he had improvised on the tape. They were in a higher key when it came time to record the song in the studio. He was able to write it all down, but one change occurred to him on the spot: the song’s renowned outro solo. This was all because it did not sound like Henley’s voice.
