The Last DJ (song)

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"The Last DJ"
Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Tom Petty
Producer(s)George Drakoulias, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers singles chronology
"Room at the Top"
(1999) 		"The Last DJ"
(2002) 		"Good Enough"
(2010)
Tom Petty singles chronology
"Swingin"
(1999) 		"The Last DJ"
(2002) 		"Saving Grace"
(2006)

"The Last DJ" is the title of a song written by

Mainstream Rock Tracks
list in 2002.

Background and writing

Petty told Mojo magazine that, in the song, "Radio was just a metaphor. ‘The Last DJ’ was really about losing our moral compass, our moral center."

Petty told Jim DeRogatis that the song is a story "about a D.J. in Jacksonville, Florida, who became so frustrated with his inability to play what he wants that he moves to Mexico and gets his freedom back. The song is sung by a narrator who's a fan of this D.J."[1]

Banning

The song was banned by many stations owned by

Clear Channel Communications for being "anti-radio."[2] "I was elated when my song was banned," Petty told Billboard. "I remember when the radio meant something. We enjoyed the people who were on it, even if we hated them. They had personalities. They were people of taste, who we trusted. And I see that vanishing."[3]

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor called it "the most inspiring song in years from a man who has pretty much seen it all."[4]

In popular culture

In the Simpsons episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation", Homer receives songwriting lessons from Tom Petty. In the original airing, "The Last DJ" can be heard playing on a radio in the final scene. The song was changed for syndication.

Charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 22[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Damn the Torpedoes
  2. ^ LA Times: Tom Petty banned
  3. ^ Quoted in "I won't back down"; Classic Rock #48, Christmas 2002
  4. Billboard
    , September 28, 2002

External links

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