I Own That CD! - Tom Petty

In 1994, Tom Petty was 44 when he released his second solo album, Wildflowers. He was headed toward a rough divorce, his wife of over two decades and according to Warren Zanes’ biography Petty, he was also on the verge of a pretty serious heroin addiction. But at the same time, he was on a musical high, with songs flowing out of him like never before.

So he hooked up with producer Rick Rubin and created a release that falls in between his early work with the Heartbreakers and Neil Young. Wildflowers is today’s feature on I Own That CD!

It’s full of intimate, grown-up songs with hooks throughout and showing no signs of slowing down. The Heartbreakers were actually his back-up band on the release but between Petty and Rubin, they “both wanted more freedom than to be strapped into five guys.”

Starting with the beautiful title track, “Wildflowers” became a favorite in our house. Petty said of the song, “I just took a deep breath and it came out. The whole song. Stream of consciousness: words, music, chords. Finished it. I mean, I just played it into a tape recorder and I played the whole song and I never played it again. I actually only spent three and a half minutes on that whole song.” He waxed poetic - about love and letting go.

Up next, the very popular, radio hit, “You Don’t Know How It Feels”. This is where I get lots of Neil Young vibes. Mix “Heart of Gold” with “Southern Man”. It’s a bar room sing-along. An MTV favorite at a time when Petty was aging out of MTV.

But it’s the tracks that didn’t always get airplay that catch my attention on second, third and one hundredth listen.

The beautiful but self-loathing track, “It’s Good To Be King” is gorgeous with strings and a gentle piano that soars when the chorus comes in. “Don’t Fade on Me” sounds like a demo with its acoustic and barely-there vocals. Petty orates and keeps us on the edge of our seats.

The ridiculously catchy “A Higher Place” plays more to the sound that he developed with Jeff Lynne. There’s a spiritual enlightenment in his lyrics. It’s a big change from where he’s taken us on the songs that come before this one.

“House in the Woods” - The bluesy, jam of the song feels like a journey to the house that’s in the woods. The instrumentation is raw and cool - You can picture Petty winking at you from the stage as he raises his guitar in a very rock and roll way.

By the time you get to “Wake Up Time” we’ve hit peak sentimentality. It’s a melancholy track that looks back on Petty’s life and what lies ahead.

Wildflowers is one to take another listen to when you get the chance. It’s top five for me of Petty releases and I own the CD if you want to borrow it.