I loved Southern Accents and those trippy videos after the cable man finally came to town. I remember getting Damn The Torpedoes on vinyl for my birthday. I wouldn’t even have thought of him.īut Tom was always there throughout my entire life, with great song after great song. If you ever asked me 'who my favorite artist was' or 'who’s the best American songwriter' or ‘which rocker would I want to go gator hunting with on an airboat’ I never would have said Tom Petty. I think I’m going to pick up that guitar again and see where it takes me.
And here I am nearly 30 years later discovering it anew. I loved this album the day it was released. The best of the best records reveal something new with each revolution. It’s a naked confessional yet somehow a pep talk to himself. Rick Rubin’s production is majestic, strings bringing gravity to the lyrics, some of which Petty utters as spoken words. I always wondered whether the opening “Wildflowers” - seemingly about a girl – was actually a hidden or even unwitting self-portrait (“you belong where you feel free”). The finale, “Wake Up Time,” is the natural bookend to the title track. But this one finishes even stronger than it starts, with 4 simply great songs that capture Petty’s midlife catharsis.
#WAKE UP TIME TOM PETTY CHORDS FULL#
Normally a 15-song album would be bloated, full of filler. (Aside: this is the third essay in which I’ve mentioned Drake maybe I should just get it over with and write about him next.) Such as “Don’t Fade On Me,” co-written with Mike Campbell, which is so evocative of Nick Drake that I had to double-check it wasn’t a cover. Yet the songs that stand out most to me this time around are the more intimate, hidden gems. In addition to the title track, there are several mainstream rock hits: “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” “You Wreck Me,” “It’s Good To Be King,” and “A Higher Place.” The album includes familiar staples of Petty’s catalog. There is a sense of self-awareness that didn’t strike me back then, but I recognize now that I’m 50 and have lived a little myself. The whole thing is ironic, given he’s less than a year from divorce, himself heartbroken. Wildflowers is a “solo” Petty album untethered from The Heartbreakers, yet most of the band plays on nearly every tune. But upon further listening, it’s a deep, sprawling journey of reflection, regret, hope and wistful freedom.
Sure, the songs are predominantly spare, relying mostly on straightforward arrangements, basic chords and his trademark, accessible melodies. The song was “Wildflowers.” It was easy.īoy, was I in for a surprise, because Wildflowers is perhaps his most complex work. I picked up my guitar and played it by ear. One night I threw the new Tom Petty record on my stereo and all of a sudden something clicked. It was also the day of the week when new albums were released. Tuesdays were for cramming after a week of procrastination. But I was just going through the motions, barely practicing scales in between lessons. On Wednesdays, I’d carry my Martin acoustic on a walk along the water to see my instructor at his studio not far away. I was not quite engaged, living alone, killing time, learning guitar.
Back in 1994, I lived in a gentrified old mill building set on a river, a short distance from a classic New England town center.
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