Music Friday: "American Girl," "I Won't Back Down," & "Running Down a Dream"

As someone whose hometown is Waterloo, Iowa and as someone who is decidedly left of center on most issues, it's unfortunate what happened not long ago.

Tea Party darling Michelle Bachmann announced his candidacy for President in the city she was born in, my hometown.

Not only does that event give Waterloo a black eye from my perspective, but she also thought John Wayne was from there when in reality serial killer John Wayne Gacy has a link to Waterloo since he spent part of his childhood there, he eventually became a prominent businessman in the area, and then he got himself locked up for abusing kids.

Jesus, one of her low level staffers could have at least checked out these simple facts. Hell, Wikipedia would have helped her flunkies with basic information on either John Wayne, who was born in Winterset, and John Wayne Gacy.

But this is a Music Friday post, folks. It's not a post primarily aimed to note the lunacy of Michelle Bachmann. There are plenty of people out there doing that.

There's a connection to music though.

As Rolling Stone relates, the management of Tom Petty has issued a cease and desist letter to Bachmann's campaign to quit playing "American Girl" at her rallies. Petty wants no part of being associated with her.

Good for you, TP. Good for you.

In honor of Petty's cease of desist letter, I offer a trio of songs from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The first, of course, is "American Girl."



Next is "I Won't Back Down."



And finally, I hope you enjoy "Running Down a Dream," from Full Moon Fever like "I Won't Back Down." Both were often played at a fine establishment called The Gin Mill in Kirksville, Missouri when I was in college.