Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Blender
Chicago Tribune
Christgau's Record GuideC+
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
The Essential Rock Discography5/10
Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stone Album Guide

Long After Dark is the fifth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on November 2, 1982, on Backstreet Records. Notable for the MTV hit "You Got Lucky", the album was also the band's first to feature Howie Epstein on bass and harmony vocals. Epstein's vocals are prevalent throughout the album and from that point on, became an integral part of the Heartbreakers' sound.

Two other singles from the album were released, "Change of Heart" and "Straight into Darkness", the former joining "You Got Lucky" in the Billboard top 40. In July 2018, "Keep a Little Soul", an outtake from Long After Dark, was released as the first single to promote Petty's box set An American Treasure. "Keeping Me Alive", another outtake from the album sessions, was a Petty favorite, and was eventually released on his and the Heartbreakers' 1995 box set Playback, as well as on An American Treasure.

On August 30, 2024, the Tom Petty estate announced the release of an expanded Deluxe Edition of the album, which included 12 new live and previously unreleased songs, as well as a Blu-Ray Dolby Atmos remix. This version was released on streaming services, numbered vinyl and CD on October 18, 2024.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tom Petty, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A One Story Town"3:06
2."You Got Lucky"Tom PettyMike Campbell3:37
3."Deliver Me"3:28
4."Change of Heart"3:18
5."Finding Out"PettyCampbell3:36
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."We Stand a Chance"3:38
7."Straight into Darkness"3:49
8."The Same Old You"PettyCampbell3:31
9."Between Two Worlds"PettyCampbell5:12
10."A Wasted Life"4:35
Total length:37:44

Track listing : 2024 Extended Deluxe Edition

Disc 1 is the same as the 1982 release.

CD Version Disc 2
No.TitleLength
1.Stories We Could Tell - French TV3:36
2.Never Be You3:55
3.Turning Point - Original Drums Version3:01
4.Don't Make Me Walk The Line3:17
5.Finding Out - French TV4:03
6.Heartbreakers Beach Party - Extended Version2:50
7.Keeping Me Alive - French TV3:21
8.Straight Into Darkness - French TV4.25
9.Ways To Be Wicked - Denver Sessions4:25
10.Between Two Worlds - French TV3:50
11.One on One3:41
12.Wild Thing3:53
Total length:43:09

Personnel

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

  • Tom Petty – lead vocals, guitars (acoustic, electric, 12-string, lead on "We Stand a Chance")
  • Mike Campbell – guitars (lead, 12-string), organ on "We Stand a Chance"
  • Howie Epstein – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Benmont Tench – acoustic and electric pianos, Hammond and Vox organs, Oberheim OB-Xa synthesizer, backing vocals
  • Stan Lynch – drums, backing vocals

Additional musicians

Production

  • Jimmy Iovine – production
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering
  • Tom Petty – production
  • Don Smith – engineer
  • Tommy Steele – design
  • Shelly Yakus – engineer

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Long After Dark
ChartPosition
Australian Albums Chart77
Canadian RPM Albums Chart17
New Zealand Albums Chart25
Swedish Albums Chart20
UK Albums Chart45
United States Billboard 2009
2024 chart performance for Long After Dark
Chart (2024)Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)50
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)86

Certifications

Certifications for Long After Dark
RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA)Gold500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.