| "Free Fallin'" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Tom Petty | ||||
| from the album Full Moon Fever | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | October 27, 1989 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:14 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Tom Petty singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Free Fallin'" on YouTube | ||||
"Free Fallin" is the opening track from American musician Tom Petty's debut solo album, Full Moon Fever (1989). The song was written by Petty and his writing partner for the album, Jeff Lynne, and features Lynne on backing vocals and bass guitar. The duo wrote and recorded the single in two days, making it the first song completed for Full Moon Fever.
"Free Fallin'" is one of Petty's most famous tracks as well as his highest - and longest - charting song.[4] It peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in January 1990, becoming his third and final top ten hit. Petty and The Heartbreakers performed the song at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1989, with Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin, and at the February 2008 Super Bowl XLII Halftime Show.[5] The song is ranked No. 219 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was featured in the film Jerry Maguire (1996) and The Sopranos episode 2.13, "Funhouse" (2000). Lou Reed selected the song as one of his "picks of 1989".[6] The song reached No. 2 on the Spotify Global Viral 50 following Petty's death in 2017.[7]
Development and meaning
Petty explained in an interview with Billboard magazine that he and Jeff Lynne were sitting around trying to come up with a song, and Lynne got him to say "free falling". The next day they recorded the song. Petty did not write the song about a specific person, but instead about what he saw during his frequent drives along Ventura Boulevard.[8]
Reception
"Free Fallin'" is widely regarded as one of Petty's best songs. Billboard and Rolling Stone both ranked the song number four on their lists of the greatest Tom Petty songs,[9][10] while WatchMojo considers it to be Tom Petty's best song.[11]
Personnel
- Tom Petty – lead & backing vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar
- Mike Campbell – 12-string electric guitar
- Jeff Lynne – acoustic guitar, bass, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Phil Jones – drums and tambourine
Music video
The music video for the song was directed by Piers Garland and Julien Temple and features a teenage girl seen in various places around Los Angeles, including a 1960s pool party and a 1980s skate park. Petty is also seen performing in these places and others, such as the former Westside Pavilion mall.[12]
Track listings
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Free Fallin'" | 4:14 | |
| 2. | "Down the Line" |
| 2:54 |
| Total length: | 7:08 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Free Fallin'" |
| 4:14 |
| 2. | "Love Is a Long Road" |
| 4:06 |
| Total length: | 8:20 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Free Fallin'" |
| 4:14 |
| 2. | "Love Is a Long Road" |
| 4:06 |
| 3. | "Free Fallin'" (live) |
|
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[30] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | October 27, 1989 |
|
MCA | |
| United Kingdom | November 6, 1989 |
|
[32] |
Cover versions
- In 1993, De La Soul and Teenage Fanclub sampled the song for "Fallin'", which appeared on the Judgment Night soundtrack.
- In 1996, Stevie Nicks covered the song for the Party of Five soundtrack. This cover was also included on her Enchanted (Stevie Nicks album) box set (Released 1998.) Nicks frequently has included the song in both her shows with Fleetwood Mac, as well as solo, since Petty’s death in 2017. The performances are often accompanied by a video tribute to Petty.
- In 2007, John Mayer played an acoustic cover of the song in a performance at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, as a part of his 2008 live album Where the Light Is. The single was certified double platinum in Australia in 2021[33] and Gold in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2022.[34]
- In 2017, Coldplay covered the song with Peter Buck of R.E.M. in Portland, Oregon as a tribute to Petty following his death.[35] Coldplay performed the song again in Pasadena, California with James Corden.[36]
References
- ↑ Smith, Troy L. (February 27, 2018). "250 greatest Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Songs: Part 2 (#200-151)". cleveland.com. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- 1 2 Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. p. 180. ISBN 978-1-4408-6579-4.
- ↑ Harrington, Jim (2015). "Tom Petty - "Free Fallin'". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 633.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 188.
- ↑ "Topic Galleries". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 8, 2008.
- ↑ Rolling Stone, March 8, 1990
- ↑ "Global Viral 50". Spotify Charts. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ↑ Cathy Applefeld Olson (June 7, 2017). "Tom Petty Originally Wrote 'Free Fallin'' Just to Make Jeff Lynne Laugh". Billboard. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ↑ Unterberger, Andrew (October 3, 2017). "The 20 Best Tom Petty Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Tom Petty: 50 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone. November 28, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Top 10 Tom Petty Songs".
- ↑ Tom Petty: Free Fallin' (Video 1989) - IMDb, retrieved August 28, 2021
- ↑ "ARIA Chart Watch #441". auspOp. October 7, 2017. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6644." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ↑ "Tipparade-lijst van week 6, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Tom Petty – Free Fallin'" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ↑ "Tom Petty – Free Fallin'". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 40, 2017" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ↑ "Tom Petty – Free Fallin'". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ↑ "Tom Petty Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Tom Petty Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ↑ "Tom Petty Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Tom Petty Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ↑ "Tom Petty Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ↑ "U.S. Cash Box Charts" (PDF). popmusichistory. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ↑ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ↑ "1990 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 51. December 22, 1990. p. YE-14.
- ↑ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ↑ "Danish single certifications – Tom Petty – Free Fallin'". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ↑ "British single certifications – Tom Petty – Free Fallin'". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ↑ "New Singles". Music Week. November 4, 1989. p. 45.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ↑ "British single certifications – John Mayer – Free Fallin'". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
- ↑ Needham, Lucy; Newman, Vicki; Shenton, Zoe (October 3, 2017). "Emotional moment Coldplay audience stand in absolute silence to remember victims of Las Vegas shooting - before launching into Tom Petty tribute song". Daily Mirror. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ↑ Kreps, Daniel (October 7, 2017). "See Coldplay, James Corden Sing Tom Petty's 'Free Fallin' at Rose Bowl". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
