5 Key Facts About Tom Petty’s Damn the Torpedoes

It was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ third studio album. Released on October 19, 1979, it followed their first two albums.

It was their first album on Backstreet Records. The label distributed through MCA Records, marking a label change for the band.

The album title comes from a naval phrase. “Damn the torpedoes” was famously said by Admiral David Farragut during the Civil War.

It became their commercial breakthrough. The album reached number two on the Billboard 200 and sold millions of copies.

It produced several hit singles. Songs like “Refugee” and “Don’t Do Me Like That” became radio staples.