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Don't Do Me Like That

Field	Value
name	Don't Do Me Like That
cover	Don't do me like that tom petty US.jpg
caption	U.S. 7" vinyl
type	single
artist	Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
album	Damn the Torpedoes
B-side
released
* Heartland rock<ref>{{Cite web	date	July 11, 2018	title=Posthumous Music By Tom Petty to be Released	url=https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/posthumous-music-by-tom-petty-to-be-released/	access-date=July 24, 2025	website=CBS Detroit	language=en-US}}
* boogie rock<ref name	"Molanphy 2017"
*R&B<ref name	"Rotondo2014"
length	2:44
label	Backstreet
writer	Tom Petty
producer	Jimmy Iovine
prev_title	Listen to Her Heart
prev_year	1978
next_title	Refugee
next_year	1980

| B-side =

Heartland rock
boogie rock
R&B

"Don't Do Me Like That" is a song by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on November 5, 1979 as the lead single from their third studio album, Damn the Torpedoes. Written by the band's eponymous frontman, the song was first recorded as a demo with his band, Mudcrutch, in 1974. Tom Petty considered giving the song to The J. Geils Band, but producer Jimmy Iovine convinced him to include it on Damn the Torpedoes.

The single is one of the band's most popular in North America, and is their only song to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. It was even more popular in Canada, peaking at No. 3, but in the UK, despite airplay by Capital Radio in the summer of 1980, the track failed to make the Top 75 chart.

Background

Petty wrote the song and recorded a demo version with his previous band Mudcrutch in 1974. At one point, he strongly considered giving the song to The J. Geils Band because he thought it had their sound. During the Damn the Torpedoes sessions he was convinced by producer Jimmy Iovine to include it on the album because he sensed it would be a hit.

Reception

Billboard praised the song for its "strong lyrical hook backed up by some solid mid to fast rock instrumentation" and its "urgent" vocal. Cash Box said that it "bounces along to a rock steady, engaging beat, bopping hook, staccato guitar chords with lively production". Record World called the hook "irresistible".

The Fort Worth Star Telegram rated it to be the 4th best single of 1979.

Single track listings

"Don't Do Me Like That" b/w "Casa Dega" Backstreet 41138 (US)
"Don't Do Me Like That" b/w "Century City" "Something Else" (Live) b/w "Stories We Could Tell" (Live) Backstreet MCA 596 (UK 2x7" single)

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1979–80)	Peak
position
Canadian RPM Top Singles	3
New Zealand	17
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	10
U.S. Cash Box Top 100	7

Year-end charts

Chart (1980)	Rank
Canada	37
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	64
U.S. Cash Box	56

Certification

References

(July 11, 2018). "Posthumous Music By Tom Petty to be Released".
Molanphy, Chris. (October 30, 2017). "Le Petty Prince Edition". [[Slate (magazine).
Rotondo, Andrea M.. (February 12, 2014). "Tom Petty: Rock 'n' Roll Guardian". Omnibus Press.
Uitti, Jacob. (March 1, 2023). "Behind the Meaning of the Spirited Song "Don't Do Me Like That" by Tom Petty".
Sahai, Fred. (April 28, 2022). "Tom Petty's Top 25 Billboard Hot 100 Hits".
Bosso, Joe. (February 2024). "Tom Petty: Damn The Torpedoes Deluxe Edition review track-by-track". MusicRadar.
(November 17, 1979). "Top Single Picks". Billboard.
(November 17, 1979). "CashBox Singles Reviews". Cash Box.
(November 17, 1979). "Hits of the Week".
Kaye, Roger. (January 13, 1980). "The best albums, singles and concerts of 1979". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"Top 100 1980-02-09". [[Cashbox (magazine).
"Pop Singles" ''Billboard'' December 20, 1980: TIA-10

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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