"Breakdown" is a song written and sung by Tom Petty, released in November 1976 as the first single from the debut album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, produced by Denny Cordell at Shelter Studios in Hollywood. Mike Campbell first played a guitar lick only near the end of the track, and Dwight Twilley suggested running it through the whole song. The band re-recorded it at 2 AM; the final take ran seven to eight minutes and was cut to 2:39 for the album. Jeff Jourard plays guitar and Phil Seymour sings backing vocals. The single reached the top 40 in the United States and Canada, peaking at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the RPM chart, and was certified gold in New Zealand. Record World called it a "slow, sultry rocker, dominated by guitar".
Petty sometimes medleyed it live with Ray Charles's "Hit the Road Jack". Grace Jones recorded a reggae-inflected version for her 1980 album Warm Leatherette, with a third verse Petty wrote for her; it did not chart. In 2024, Ryan Hurd and Carly Pearce recorded a country version for the tribute album Petty Country.
