You Don't Know How It Feels

Tom Petty

About You Don't Know How It Feels

"You Don't Know How It Feels" is a song and the lead single from Tom Petty's 1994 album Wildflowers. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his last Top 40 hit. The track features candid lyrics describing the songwriter's desire for personal and professional autonomy. MTV, VH1 and many radio stations aired a censored version of "You Don't Know How It Feels," taking the word "roll" out of "let's roll another joint", as well as a version that played the word "joint" backwards. A version replacing the word "roll" with "hit" was also made. The music video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video in 1995. The girl in the video is Raven Snow; she also appeared in several episodes of Zalman King's Red Shoe Diaries and the film Delta of Venus as lounge singer Leila. 


Year:
1994
4:49
5,547 
#35

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Let me run with you tonight
I'll take you on a moonlight ride
There's someone I used to see
But she don't give a damn for me

But let me get to the point, let's roll another joint
And turn the radio loud, I'm too alone to be proud
You don't know how it feels
You don't know how it feels to be me

People come, people go
Some grow young, some grow cold
I woke up in between
A memory and a dream

So let's get to the point, let's roll another joint
Let's head on down the road
There's somewhere I gotta go
And you don't know how it feels
You don't know how it feels to be me

My old man was born to rock
He's still tryin' to beat the clock
Think of me what you will
I got a little space to fill

So let's get to the point, let's roll another joint
Let's head on down the road
There's somewhere I gotta go
And you don't know how it feels
No, you don't know how it feels to be me

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Tom Petty

Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty (born October 20, 1950) was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He had also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T. Wilbury, Jr. and Muddy Wilbury. more »

15 fans

Written by: Thomas Earl Petty

Lyrics © Gone Gator Music

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


11 facts about this song

Release Details
"You Don't Know How It Feels" is a song by Tom Petty, which was released on November 28, 1994, as the lead single from his second solo album, "Wildflowers."
Chart Performance
The song reached the number one spot on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and it also peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Petty's third top 20 hit of the 1990s.
Music Video
The music video of the song won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video in 1995.
Lyrics Controversy
The original song includes the lyrics "Let's get to the point, let's roll another joint," but due to the explicit reference to drug use, this line was often censored for radio stations.
Distinctive Harmonica Section
The song is well recognized for its memorable harmonica solo, providing an emblem of the down-to-earth, folksy appeal of the song.
Songwriting
"You Don't Know How It Feels" is written solely by Tom Petty. The song's lyrics evoke a sense of longing and a desire for a simpler life.
Award Nominations
This song was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
Album Success
The "Wildflowers" album, from which the song is taken, was certified triple platinum in the United States.
Posthumous Popularity
Following Petty's death in 2017, the song returned to the Billboard charts, reaching number 14 on the Rock Digital Song Sales chart.
Common Misconception
Despite the popularity of the song and its association with Tom Petty, it is often mistakenly thought to be a song by Bob Dylan, likely due to similarities in style and lyrical content.
Covers and Tributes
Several artists have covered "You Don't Know How It Feels" in tribute to Tom Petty, including Melissa Etheridge, Miley Cyrus, and Tyler Childers.

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    "You Don't Know How It Feels Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/2738376/Tom+Petty/You+Don%27t+Know+How+It+Feels>.

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    You Don't Know How It Feels

    71,037
    424     12

    Top Hot 100 Songs 1995

    Billboard #13


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