Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers — The Waiting

JUL 01 1981 · 12:00

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers — The Waiting (1981) Director: Jim Lenahan Era: MTV Launch Era (1981) - Pre-MTV broadcast, among the earliest rock promo clips produced for the nascent music video format; released the same year MTV went on air, representing the transitional moment between concert promo films and the purpose-built music video industry. High. One of the earliest documented music video productions for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, created at the precise historical moment of MTV's launch. Directed by a key figure in Petty's visual identity, Jim Lenahan, whose dual role as touring lighting director and video director makes this a rare primary document of a trusted insider aesthetic. The clip's restrained, performance-first visual language stands as a counter-document to the flamboyant early-MTV style, making it essential for any survey of the format's origins and the diversity of early video aesthetics. Context: Released April 1981 as the lead single from Hard Promises, 'The Waiting' arrived at a pivotal inflection point: MTV launched in August 1981, making this clip one of the earliest pieces of Tom Petty visual content to circulate in the new video era. The song peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent six consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Rock Tracks chart, cementing Petty's status as a mainstream rock force. The video's stripped-back, stage-document aesthetic reflects the pre-MTV promo film tradition, where performance capture rather than narrative spectacle was the dominant mode. Petty's anti-glam visual identity — wide hat, oversized jacket, jangling guitar — positioned the Heartbreakers as an authentic alternative to the synthetic pop and glam metal aesthetics that would dominate early MTV. Director notes: Lenahan directed 'The Waiting' in 1981 — his entry point into music video direction — alongside several other Petty clips from the same period including 'A Woman in Love (It's Not Me),' 'Insider,' 'You Got Lucky,' 'Jammin' Me,' and 'Runnin' Down A Dream.' His background as a theatrical lighting designer heavily shaped the visual grammar of these early Petty videos. Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, known for shooting the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, served as DP on Lenahan's early Petty video work. The 'Waiting' clip, released April 9, 1981, is a performance-based document consistent with the pre-MTV promo film tradition, relying on stage craft and lighting design rather than narrative construction.