Tom Petty - Wildflowers
The late Tom Petty’s second solo studio album, Wildflowers, was recorded between 1992 and 1994 at Sound City in Los Angeles, CA. Despite it being a solo album for Tom, each member of his band, The Heartbreakers (excluding drummer Stan Lynch) play on this album. Producer Rick Rubin and Tom structured the recording of this album differently where the Heartbreakers played along with other musicians in a “session” approach. Petty and Rubin agreed they wanted to have the freedom on this one to mix and match without the input of the band.
Wildflowers, many would argue is Petty’s greatest album. Much different from his 70s Heartbreakers, American Garage Rock releases which also deserve significant recognition. Wildflowers is a fifteen-track trip down every memory lane you can piece together. From songs that include hard rock riffing , You Wreck Me, Cabin Down Below and Honey Bee, to the slowed down southern blues guitar riff in Don’t Fade on Me. From Time to Move On and Only a Broken Heart to a more radio friendly, You Don’t Know How it Feels and It’s Good to Be King, Tom’s lyrics give you a sense of comfort, sensibility, reality and motivation. The album begins with the title track, Wildflowers, where Petty sings about setting the one you love free to find their true meaning.
This album frequently revisits the topic of “worry”. We all have worries in our life, and Tom seems to put each listener’s mind at ease when he sings about the acknowledgement that everyone worries. You can relate most, if not all his lyrics to a personal experience. Time to Move On can be considered the song that encourages you to look on the bright side. “It’s time to move on. It’s time to get going. What lies ahead I have no way of knowing”. These words had a lasting effect on me when I first heard the album in 1994, and even today when I go back and listen.
The album rounds out with Crawling Back to You and Wake Up Time. I always say, some of my greatest musical experiences occurred when I would wake up realizing I had quickly fallen asleep to the sound of an album, and for a short time be comfortable in that land of confusion, where conscious meets unconscious, and you’re not sure if you’ve woken up. For me, I would cherish looking back at the moments when the lyrics I heard, for a short time, were my reality.
Wildflowers is indeed a departure from the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers albums of 70’s, 80s, and 90’s, with more than 75% of the songs including a soft, acoustic rhythm that instantly grab you from the verse to the bridge and throughout the chorus. Wildflowers reached number 8 on the US Billboard charts in 1994. The single, You Don’t Know How It Feels reached number 1 in the US that same year.
Desert Island Album anyone? For me, this makes the list. It doesn’t match the lyrics of a Dylan album or the technical musicianship of a Miles Davis or a Rush album, but that doesn’t matter here. Tom Petty wrote what I would consider a masterpiece. Many in the public would agree.
Already own Wildflowers? Pick up a copy of Full Moon Fever (vinyl, CD or MP3), Petty’s first solo album (which sounds like a Heartbreakers album) featuring Runnin’ Down A Dream, Free Fallin’, I Won’t Back Down, Yer So Bad and A Face in the Crowd.
Also, don’t forget to pick up some Tom Petty Merch. One of the best band logos of all time!