America turns 250 this year. That’s not exactly breaking news, but 2026 also marks a momentous anniversary for American music — the 50th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It might seem presumptuous to connect a rock band to such a major historical event, but there is one bit of Tom Petty lore that makes the connection explicit. “American Girl” — an unlikely anthem with a bittersweet lyric and a Bo Diddley beat, and arguably the band’s most iconic song — was recorded on July 4, 1976. The band had only two weeks in the studio to record their debut album, which came out just four months later, so the timing is just as likely a happy coincidence as it was intentional.