Tom Petty: Is ‘Wildflowers’ His Greatest Album?
“It’s my favorite, I think, of all of them,” Tom Petty said of his 1994 solo-ish album, Wildflowers. As he told Paul Zollo in the book Conversations with Tom Petty, “I think it’s maybe my favorite LP that I’ve ever done.”
The early ‘90s marked a changing of the guard in rock music. The biggest rock songs on the radio were from artists who, for the most part, came of age in the wake of Nirvana’s Nevermind. Green Day, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Tori Amos, Stone Temple Pilots, the Offspring, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, the Cranberries and Oasis were some of the biggest artists of the era. Radio was also more open than ever to the alternative bands that predated Nirvana: R.E.M., the Meat Puppets, the Cure, Bjork (who led the Sugarcubes in the ‘80s), and the Stone Roses.
But the rockers of the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s were becoming “classic rock.” In many cases, their days as hitmakers were coming to an end. “Here’s one from the new album” would often lead to a bathroom break at concerts. There were some exceptions, of course: Aerosmith and Pink Floyd had successful albums in the early ’90s. As did Tom Petty, who was on a very hot streak that started in the late ’80s. He had some great songs on the Traveling Wilburys’ debut album, 1988’s Vol. 1, and from there, he stuck with Jeff Lynne for his solo debut, Full Moon Fever, his most popular album ever. 1991’s Heartbreakers album, also produced by Jeff Lynne, Into The Great Wide Open, was double platinum. 1993’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” recorded for the Greatest Hits album, topped the rock radio charts and was his biggest pop hit since “Free Fallin’.”
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All of that led to Wildflowers. What is so extraordinary about Wildflowers is not just its popularity, although this was 18 years after his debut album. It’s that Wildflowers was among his best albums, and maybe his best. It’s not just Tom Petty who thinks so. Country star Chris Stapleton called it his favorite album of all time. Stapleton has covered “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” and George Strait covered “You Wreck Me” on the recently released Petty Country tribute album. Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has covered “Wildflowers,” and Norah Jones has also covered “You Don’t Know How It Feels.” Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics (who produced some of Petty’s Southern Accents) covered “It’s Good To Be King.”
Producer Rick Rubin said in the documentary film Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers, “Tom was able to manage the changes of the styles of music, still sounding like Tom Petty, but still being of the moment as well.” In 1994, Rubin was still mostly known as a guy who worked in hip-hop, having produced early records by LL Cool J, Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys, and hard rock and metal, including albums by Slayer and Danzig. Rubin was only starting to work with older legends.
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Petty heard Rubin’s work on Mick Jagger’s underappreciated 1993 solo album, Wandering Spirit, and wanted to meet the producer. Which was fortuitous, as Rubin had inquired with Petty’s former label, MCA, about working with him, only to be told that Petty was working “exclusively” with Jeff Lynne.
They started working together during what was a transitional phase for Petty; he’d finally left MCA and signed a new deal with Warner Brothers. Founding Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch left the band, and most significantly, Petty was separating from his wife, Jane, whom he’d been married to since 1974, two years before the Heartbreakers’ debut album.
At first, Petty seemed intent on making a solo album, like Full Moon Fever. As with Full Moon Fever, he kept his right-hand man from the Heartbreakers, guitarist Mike Campbell, by his side. He also used another core Heartbreaker member, keyboardist Benmont Tench. But he didn’t want to be restricted to working with the same guys: he had a bigger vision for Wildflowers. Longtime bassist Howie Epstein contributed some bass and vocals, and Lynch was absent from the album. They started working with British drummer Steve Ferrone, formerly of the Average White Band, who would eventually become a full-fledged Heartbreaker.
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Petty never really worried about fitting in with trends. But in Somewhere You Feel Free, Tom’s daughter Adria noted that he related to, and saw himself in, bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. The admiration was mutual: a pre-Foo Fighters Dave Grohl was invited to replace Stan Lynch, and he even played with them at their Saturday Night Live appearance; Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has frequently covered Petty songs; he’s also done “I Won’t Back Down,” and most recently, “Room At the Top.”
Unlike many of his peers, Tom Petty resonated with a new generation who didn’t want to be condescended to. I interviewed Petty nearly a decade later, in 2002, for The Last DJ, and noted that there were so many young people at his shows compared to many of his peers. His response: “That’s because they can afford to come to my shows!” But why, I asked, were young people interested in his music? “Because we’re not trying to get them to like us!” In other words, just be honest with yourself, and people will respond.
Wildflowers was an incredibly honest record. Petty has referred to it as his “divorce album,” but it didn’t feel bitter, like, say, Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. While most “divorce” or “breakup” albums are filled with rage and anger, this one was more about sadness and acceptance. And that’s how some breakups go. You don’t hate each other; you just realize that the relationship has come to an end. From the opening track, “Wildflowers,” the narrator is wishing their ex well. “You belong somewhere you feel free,” he sings. “Run away, find you a lover/Go away somewhere all bright and new/I have seen no other/Who compares with you.” He loves her; it’s just not working for them anymore. “Time To Move On” is as plainspoken as Tom gets. It’s right to the point: “It’s time to move on, it’s time to get going/What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing/But under my feet, baby, grass is growing.”
“Don’t Fade” describes loss and depression in as few words as possible: “You can lose it without knowing/You wake up and you don’t notice.” Later, he deadpans, “Well your clothes hang on a wire/And the sun is overhead/But today you are too weary/To even leave your bed.” In the documentary, Aidra recalls that when she heard “Don’t Fade,” she knew her parents were going to get a divorce.
It’s not all sad, though: “Honey Bee” and “Cabin Down Below” are rockers, as is “You Wreck Me” (original title: “You Rock Me”). The album’s big single, “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” was written because they wanted a hit; the song was inspired by the Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker.”
The album ends with two of his best songs: “Crawling Back To You,” which features one of his best lines, “I’m so tired of being tried, sure as night will follow day/Most things I worry ‘bout, never happen anyway.” Steve Ferrone got the second part of that line tattooed on his arm after Petty’s passing.
The closing track, “Wake Up Time,” is a classic, and it’s probably helped a lot of people out of their dark times. “Yeah, you’ll be alright,” Tom sings. “It’s just gonna take time, but now/Who could have seen that you’d be so hard to please somehow.” We don’t know if he’s addressing his ex-, himself, or both. Even after the sadness and disappointment of the dissolution of a relationship that spanned two decades, he ends on a slightly optimistic note. “It’s wake-up time: Time to open up your eyes, and rise, and shine.”
As Petty said in the documentary, “I thought it was very important that we end on a hopeful note. Some of the subject matter on this album is downright dark, and I’ve been through those downright dark periods, but it’s always just believing that there’s something redeeming about human beings. That’s what carries me through the toughest times.”
The thing that resonated about the best rock music of the ‘90s wasn’t necessarily the volume of the guitars; that’s a bit reductive. What really resonated was honesty and being able to confront your pain. That’s one of the reasons why Pearl Jam has endured as long as they have. It’s why young people still listen to Nirvana. It’s also why Tom Petty didn’t have a hard time maintaining his audience and even getting new, younger fans in the ’90s and beyond. Because his songs were always honest and relatable. And that was never more true than on Wildflowers, which is one of his very best, if not his greatest album ever.
