Full Moon Fever
Tom Petty (1989)
The first solo album from the great Tom Petty was released 35 years ago today. It's an album that MCA Records didn't want to release, but after a change in management, it was sent out into the world where it went 5x platinum and produced five hit singles. The song that got the heaviest play when I was a kid was Free Fallin'. I must have seen that music video with Devon Jenkin skateboarding on a half pipe about a thousand times on MTV. Fun fact: she would go on to play the girl who gets murdered with a power drill at the start of Slumber Party Massacre III.
I like all of the songs on this album including Free Fallin', but my favorite song on the record is the last track of Side A. The opening guitar riff hits my brain in just the right way... like if you set it as an alarm clock to wake me up, I'd pop out of bed instantly, grab my keys to hit the road and get done whatever needs getting done.
It was a beautiful dayThe sun beat downI had the radio onI was drivin'Trees went byMe and Del were singin'Little RunawayI was flyin'Yeah, runnin' down a dreamThat never would come to meWorkin' on a mysteryGoin' wherever it leadsRunnin' down a dreamI felt so goodLike anything was possibleHit cruise controlRubbed my eyesThe last three daysThe rain was unstoppableIt was always coldNo sunshineYeah, runnin' down a dreamThat never would come to meWorkin' on a mysteryGoin' wherever it leadsRunnin' down a dreamI rolled onThe sky grew darkI put the pedal downTo make some timeThere's something goodWaitin' down this roadI'm pickin' upWhatever's mineI'm runnin' down a dreamThat never would've come to meWorkin' on a mysteryGoin' wherever it leadsRunnin' down a dream
