Long acknowledged as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' homage to Roger McGuinn and the Byrds, the Heartbreakers claim that the song was not a conscious effort to mimic the original jangle rock band nor McGuinn's 12-string Rickenbacker. It was all a happy accident -- in fact, it was the sound of two six-string guitars that created the luscious jingle-jangle riff in "American Girl." Though it wasn't released as a single, "American Girl" was an FM, album radio hit. It's easy to hear why: The drums and guitar are frenetic, almost punk in pace. There are old-fashioned, high background vocals. The song sticks to a known structure: verse/chorus/verse/chorus/instrumental breakdown. Guitarist Mike Campbell reels off a simple solo that develops into a rapid-fire arpeggio as the song makes its quick fade. It's over before it starts, really -- clean, simple, that's its appeal. It's no surprise that McGuinn recorded the song immediately after hearing the Petty version for his 1977 album, Thunderbyrd, though Petty's own version remains definitive by yards. -- Denise Sullivan