Refugee (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)


"Refugee" is a song recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in January 1980 as the second single from their album Damn the Torpedoes. It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1980. The song is in compound AABA form.

Composition and recording

The song's co-writer Mike Campbell said "Refugee" was one of the first songs he wrote, and recounted, "I just wrote the music and handed it to Tom and he put the words over it, and when he did he found a way to make the chorus lift up without changing chords."
In a November 2003 interview with Songfacts, Campbell described the recording sessions for "Refugee":
Billboard Magazine rated "Refugee" as being "Petty at his best," specifically praising the "gutsy rock vocal and searing guitar lines."

Personnel

It was recorded by Melissa Etheridge in 2005 for her album, and reached No. 96 on the Billboard Pop 100. Other versions have been done by Vains of Jenna, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and The Gaslight Anthem.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts