There are few music catalogs that music stand the test of time in the way that Tom Petty’s does. And while he rose to fame in the 1970s and had perhaps his biggest commercial hits by the time his 1989 blockbuster album Full Moon Fever came out, many of his greatest treasures can be unearthed by exploring his work from the 90s. As the musical climate around him swirled, so too did Petty’s life as the last decade of the millennium ran its course. The decade saw Tom go through a divorce with his wife of over 20 years, witness the slow decline of his friend and bassist Howie Epstein to heroin, while continually doing his thing and cementing himself as one of the strongest songwriters of all time. Let’s explore some of his prime work from this era, including some lesser known gems along with classics you may have thought were released much earlier than they actually were.
10) You Wreck Me
Album: Wildflowers (1994)
A classic Petty rocker, “You Wreck Me” had become a staple for his live shows and even often served as the set opener to rile up the crowd right off the bat. Fun fact, the song was initially titled “You Rock Me”, but the band ultimately decided that was just too cliche.
https://youtu.be/5Duj_guuf64
9) I Don’t Wanna Fight
Album: Echo (1999)
Tom’s lead guitarist Mike Campbell takes a rare vocals lead on this true deep cut. While Pearl Jam has cited Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers as one of their biggest influences, it feels as though Tom and Mike are returning the favor on this one, which sounds like it could straight off of PJ’s No Code (1996).
8) Swingin’
Album: Echo (1999)
The cutting guitar, the harmonica, the heartfelt lyrics, this song is a great representation of Tom in the 1990s. Many of his songs from this era could have just as easily fit into an earlier or later time, but this one feels very 1999, in the best way possible. Right down to the music video.
7) You Don’t Know How It Feels
Album: Wildflowers (1994)
Let’s get to the point, let’s roll another joint…This is him at his best with a song that gets any bar or party fired up when it comes on the speakers. Classic Petty lyrical swagger mixes with a crushing back beat and plenty of harmonica, which got a much needed revival from Tom in the 90s.
6) Walls (NO. 3)
Album: She’s The One (Songs and Music From the Motion Picture (1996)
Walls – Circus and Walls (No.3) were two different arrangements of the same song Tom wrote for the 1996 film starring Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz. A pop song in the truest sense, Walls shows Petty’s ability to add such emotion and complexity to such a simple chord progression and melody.
https://youtu.be/kMnqM3dMbJQ
5) Into the Great Wide Open
Album: Into the Great Wide Open (1991)
Storytelling is signature of Tom’s songs, and “Into the Great Wide Open” tells the story of Hollywood in 1991 through his eyes. Johnny Depp stars in the music video for a song (and album) in which the Heartbreakers make the statement they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, regardless of the changing musical landscape around them.
4) Wildflowers
Album: Wildflowers (1994)
The title track from his solo effort Wildflowers is an acoustic, singing in the sunshine sort of song. With it’s simple melody sweeter than southern pie, this became an instant classic among Petty fans. The quintessential “singer songwriter” song before that term became hip.
3) Room at The Top
Album: Echo (1999)
Amongst all the rockers he wrote, Tom Petty sure knew how to write a ballad. Perhaps one of the best he he ever wrote was “Room At The Top”, a poignant tune about counting your blessings and being happy with what you’ve got in a given situation. The Echos album may be his most emotionally charged, and the passion in this one surely holds a special place with many fans.
2) Honey Bee
Album: Wildflowers (1994)
Dave Grohl called this one a “barn burner” after reflecting upon his 1994 guest drumming appearance with the Heartbreakers on Saturday Night Live. And he wasn’t kidding. This is good old fashioned ass kicking rock and roll. A little bit of blues, perhaps a little bit of grunge, and a whole lot of Petty.
https://youtu.be/XtlBnxyXNGI
1) Learning to Fly
Album: Into the Great Wide Open (1991)
One of his biggest hits, many think this song came out much earlier than it did. When the Heartbreakers released this in June of 1991, it had a timeless feel accentuated by the vintage music video set amongst old airplanes. Remaining in his setlists until the very end, “Learning to Fly” is one of those songs that can be applied to almost any life situation, regardless of the decade.
Honorable mentions: Echo, Crawling Back to You, Two Gunslingers, It’s Good to Be King, Out in the Cold.
