Originality in music is a complicated concept. While audiences crave authenticity and freshness, truly new ideas are rare. Much of what artists do involves repurposing existing ideas in new and engaging ways. Even legends like Tom Petty weren’t immune to the challenges that come with this creative balancing act.
One notable example came with Petty’s 1991 hit Into the Great Wide Open. The song features the line “rebel without a clue,” a phrase that sparked mild controversy. Some listeners accused Petty of lifting the lyric directly from The Replacements’ 1989 song I’ll Be You, which includes the same phrase.
However, Petty denied any deliberate borrowing. “I have to be honest: I never even heard The Replacements record,” he told the Chicago Tribune. He argued that the phrase was already widely used in pop culture and music, long before either artist recorded it. “It’s a cliché, yeah,” he admitted, “but it just sounded so good in that place, and it summed up the character so well that I had to use it.” 
Petty even pointed out that Meat Loaf had also used the phrase on one of his records, highlighting how common certain expressions become across genres and eras. To Petty, “rebel without a clue” was as culturally ingrained and frequently used as “twist and shout.”
Despite the fact that The Replacements had opened for the Heartbreakers on tour in 1989—raising the likelihood Petty had heard the song—he maintained he wasn’t consciously referencing it. The debate touches on the broader question in music: when is something homage, and when is it theft?
Petty’s case shows that even the most respected songwriters struggle with whether something is too familiar or simply perfect for the moment. In the end, it comes down to artistic intent—and sometimes, even a cliché can become iconic when used just right.
