Funny lost story about Tom Petty. In 1987 Petty released Jammin Me which was a hit but the MTV video was huge because it was pretty ground breaking. The song mentions Eddie Murphy and Eddie was spooked and puzzled. I remember Eddie talking to the press and saying something like "There is some white guy that put me in his song. I don't know what its about because I am not into white guy's music." Eddie was confused why someone he does not know took a swipe at him in the song.
The lyric is "Take back Eddie Murphy...give em all a place to go"
Tom responded that it was just fate that had him put Murphy in the song. Tom's song is about an out of control society and as Tom was writing the song there was a National Enquirer on the table. Eddie Murphy was on the cover and that is how Tom came up with that line. He was not really singling out Murphy. Whoever was on that cover may have made it to the song
...just a little bit of rock history