Petty recalled the recording of this song to '' Mojo '' magazine : " At the session George Harrison sang and played the guitar . I had a terrible cold that day , and George went to the store and bought a ginger root , boiled it and had me stick my head in the pot to get the ginger steam to open up my sinuses , and then I ran in and did the take . " A message of defiance against unnamed forces of difficulty and possibly oppression , the lyric is set against a mid-tempo beat : Due to its themes , the song was played often on American radio following the September 11 attacks . Petty and the Heartbreakers played a quiet but resolute version of the song at the '' America : A Tribute to Heroes '' telethon following the 2001 attacks
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
I Won't Back Down