Once the financial aspect had been worked out, the band was eager to get back to doing what they loved. They began working with a new producer by the name of Jimmy Iovine. As the end of ’79 was near, they released their third album Damn the Torpedoes. This third album was an absolute hit and was the bands big breakthrough that they worked so hard to achieve. Everyone was praising the band’s new music, let alone Petty himself for what they had brought to the rock and roll world. Multiple songs off their album spent time within the top ten hits, one even made it to number two for a few weeks in a row. Their album sold over 2 million copies. Being so successful with this album, the band decided to create a follow-up, little brother album to go along with it. However, upon the release of their third album, the band also faced another bump in the road with MCA, while Petty faced his own bump.
The Torpedoes tour was a huge success for the band but all the while Petty’s mother was getting very ill. He saw her near the end of the tour in which she was in an immense amount of pain. He knew this would be the last time he saw his beloved mother. As the tour came to an end, Petty got the call that his mother had died. He was without a doubt broken by this but came to peace with it because he knew she was in pain. Him and his family felt a sense of relief because her suffering was over. Petty was nonetheless torn apart by his mothers death because she was what kept their family together while he was growing up. He believed that without her they weren’t a family. Petty turned to music to cope with the loss of his mother. His band mates, friends, and fans were what kept him going.
After the release and success of Damn the Torpedoes, the band continued working towards their follow-up album. This underrated album was titled Hard Promises. At the time the standard price of a new record was $8.98 but because of their recent success MCA proposed releasing the album at $9.98, raising the price by a dollar. Petty opposed this proposal with force and demanded that it be kept at the original price of $8.98. He refused to allow MCA the rights to the album until they agreed to the original price. Petty threatened to keep the recordings from MCA and to change the name of the album to Eight Ninety-eight until his demands were met. Organizing a protest of their fans was the last straw and MCA was forced to comply and release the album with its original title and price.
Again, their album was a superb success. It reached the top ten charts and even went to become a platinum record. Amongst an array of great songs, the single “The Waiting” was the favorite among fans, reaching the number one spot on top ten hits. “The Waiting” gave the band their first number one single. Petty’s strong willed mind that he upheld throughout the process of the follow-up album gave fans more of an idea of who he was aside from his music. They recognized his humbleness and care for the actual people that enjoyed his music. Without his persistence, the album may not have been as big of a success.