10 Best Breakup Albums Of All Time
7. Echo - Tom Petty
Most of Tom Petty's career in the '90s could only go higher and higher. Starting off with his first true solo album Full Moon Fever and working with the likes of Johnny Cash in the process, Petty was slowly turning into the classic kind of rock star that he had always dreamed about. It's a shame considering how much his life was falling apart in the process.
By the time we reached Echo, Tom was in very bad shape, with his divorce from his first wife Dana weighing heavy on his mind. Though songs like Swingin and Lonesome Sundown definitely allude to something happening behind the scenes, they're still framed as character pieces, as if this could have happened to anyone. The real tragedy though came with bassist Howie Epstein, who was slowly killing himself with heroin around the same time.
Aside from the extracurriculars behind the scenes, you can really feel that pain in this record, with the title track being one of the most effective gut punches that Petty has ever put down in words. Even before his death, Petty didn't even like revisiting this album because of the bad memories that were connected to it. As much as these songs can feel like they're soul searching, this is what happens when you look in the mirror and are not in love with what you're seeing.