Hard Promises  by Tom Petty

The album Hard Promises was released on May 5, 1981. It is the fourth studio album by the band Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. The production was done by Jimmy Iovine and Tom Petty himself.

The musical style of the album is characterized as heartland rock and power pop. It includes elements of classic rock 'n' roll, jangle pop (influenced by the Byrds), and some more experimental touches such as the neo-psychedelic You Can Still Change Your Mind and the funk-rock Nightwatchman. The recordings took place in 1980–1981 at Sound City (Van Nuys), Cherokee Studios (Hollywood), and Goodnight LA in Los Angeles. Most of the songs were written by Tom Petty, while in some (such as A Woman In Love and Nightwatchman) he collaborated on the composition with guitarist Mike Campbell. The album also features Stevie Nicks in the duet Insider.

Hard Promises reached No. 5 on the American Billboard 200. In the United Kingdom, it reached No. 32, while in the official 1981 ranking, it had reached No. 4. The album also went down in history for Petty's battle with MCA Records. The artist refused to allow the increase of the album's price to $9.98 (the so-called "superstar pricing"), demanding that it remain at the regular price of $8.98, which he eventually achieved(!) The album has been certified platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA, having sold over 1,000,000 copies.