"Don't Do Me Like That" is a song written by

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...

and recorded by

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976. The band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer ...

. It was released in November 1979 as the first single from the album '' Damn the Torpedoes'' (1979). It was the first of three of their songs to be in the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single also peaked at number 3 in Canada. 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 The J. Geils Band (formerly known as The J. Geils Blues Band) was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, h ...

because he thought it had their sound. During the '' Damn the Torpedoes'' sessions he was convinced by producer

Jimmy Iovine James Iovine ( ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, former Music executive, record executive, and media proprietor. He is the co-founder of Interscope Records and became chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscop ...

to include it on the album because he sensed it would be a hit.

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' praised the song for its "strong lyrical hook backed up by some solid mid to fast rock instrumentation" and its "urgent" vocal. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that it "bounces along to a rock steady, engaging beat, bopping

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

staccato Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of Articulation (music), musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and ...

guitar chords with lively

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

". ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' 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

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1979 singles American rhythm and blues songs Tom Petty songs Songs written by Tom Petty Song recordings produced by Jimmy Iovine 1979 songs