Take back your Ups and Downs

On to the U's. The Ups and Downs and their hit "The Living Kind"



According to their myspace bio, the Ups and Downs took their name from the Flamin' Groovies song "Ups & Downs" (which was actually a Paul Revere & the Raiders song, but whatever). I saw these guys live in Perth in 1987, and remember having to assure some girl at the show that I was fairly sure Tom Petty was not slagging them in his (then current) single "Jammin Me".

She was sure Tom's line about "take back your ups and downs" was about the band Ups and Downs, and wanted to know why he was slagging obscure Australian indie bands. When she heard my American accent, she asked me to explain why Tom Petty felt the need to do something like that. It was an interesting conversation.

By the way, the lead singer of the Ups and Downs was a dead ringer for Tom Petty, both visually and audially. Maybe that girl was right, and Tom felt threatened by the Ups and Downs, and had to call them out before they stole his fame away?