Tom Petty's recorded legacy spans nearly 50 years — from classic-rock standards to deep cuts that hit hard. His songs are wired into the American cultural psyche, whether they soundtracked a misspent youth, accompanied a few decades' worth of love and loss, or merely popped up in an unforgettable moment from Jerry Maguire. Petty's music has been everywhere, which means it's meant something to just about everyone.

To celebrate Petty's influence — not just on other musicians, but on moments in everyday lives — NPR Music has assembled a crowdsourced Spotify playlist containing some of the singer's career highlights. And we've added some of our own thoughts on the songs that have meant the most to us.

Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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