9. Tom Petty--Full Moon Fever

#9: Tom Petty--Full Moon Fever (1989)

Top-Notch Tracks: "Free Fallin'," "Yer So Bad," "I Won't Back Down," "Running Down a Dream," "Alright for Now,"

Album Depth: "A Face In the Crowd," "Zombie Zoo," "Feel a Whole Lot Better," "The Apartment Song," "Love Is a Long Road," "A Mind with a Heart of Its Own," "Depending On You"

Weak Link: No videos featuring Elle Macpherson.

Stand-Out Lyrics: "My sister got lucky, married a yuppie. Took him for all he was worth. Now she's a swinger, dating a singer. I can't decide which is worse."--"Yer So Bad"

"Sometimes you're so impulsive, you shaved off all your hair. You look like Boris Karloff and you don't even care."--"Zombie Zoo"

"She's a good girl, crazy about Elvis. Loves horses, and her boyfriend, too."--"Free Fallin'"

"No, I'll stand my ground. Won't be turned around. And I'll keep this world from dragging me down. Gonna stand my ground. And I won't back down."--"I Won't Back Down"

"It was a beautiful day. The sun beat down. I had the radio on. I was driving. Trees flew by. Me and Del were singing a little 'Runaway.' I was flying."--"Running Down a Dream"

"Goodnight, baby. Sleep tight, my love. May God watch over you from above."--"Alright For Now"

"Out of a dream, out of the sky. Into my heart, into my life."--"A Face In the Crowd"

"I'm okay, most of the time. I just feel a little lonely tonight."--"The Apartment Song"

"Baby, if you can't change the world maybe you should just change yourself."--"Depending On You"

"My sister's ex-husband can't get no lovin'. Walks around dog-faced and hurt."--"Yer So Bad"

"You can stand me up at the gates of hell, but, I won't back down."--"I Won't Back Down"

"All the vampires walking through the valley move west down Ventura Boulevard."--"Free Fallin'"

"I felt so good, like anything was possible. Hit cruise control and rubbed my eye."--"Running Down a Dream"

"So close your eyes. You're alright, for now."--"Alright For Now"

"I've been over to your house. And you've been over sometimes to my house. I've slept in your treehouse. My middle name is Earl."--"A Mind With a Heart of Its Own"



Tom Petty--Full Moon Fever


Album cover: 8 out of 10. It's a pretty simple, low-key album cover, so why such a high score? Two things: A) the distinctive coloring. The blue/yellow/pink rainbow scheme makes it stand out from other albums in a good way. And 2) I really like how the album cover seems to be designed for a cassette tape. No stretching it out to make it square, just a good old cassette tape vertical rectangle, damn it! 

Comments: I never really cared much or thought much of Tom Petty. Sure, I knew some of his songs, and I found them to be...okay. I probably knew him best from his duets with Stevie Nicks. To be truthful, I used to occasionally get Tom Petty confused with Jackson Browne. (They had similar music and similar hairstyles.) 

Even when "Traveling Wilbury's--Vol. 1" came out in 1988, I still wasn't overly impressed with Petty. (I mean, he was very clearly my fourth favorite Wilbury, ahead of only Dylan.) It wasn't until "I Won't Back Down" was released as a single that I really started paying attention. And then "Runnin' Down a Dream" and "Free Fallin'" came out as singles, and I was hooked.

Did it help that I heard that Jeff Lynne produced the album and helped write some of the songs? Of course it did! But the more I listened to the album, the less Lynne's involvement mattered to me--it was just a damn good album, from start to finish!

When commenting on "Mink Car" by They Might Be Giants, Nardo said he wondered if he had mistakenly put on a greatest hits album. I feel the same way about "Full Moon Fever." Every song seems like one I might have (or should have) heard on the radio.

Besides being chock full of finely crafted songs, the album is also a showcase for Tom Petty's sense of humor. It's all there, from yuppies to Boris Karloff to eye rubbing to the middle name of Earl. But, perhaps the funniest moment on the album comes on the cd version after the end of "Runnin' Down a Dream" but before the next song, "Feel a Whole Lot Better." In between the songs, Tom says, " Hello, cd listeners. We've come to the point in this album where those listening on cassette or record will have to stand up, or sit down, and turn over the record, or tape. In fairness to those listeners, we'll now take a few seconds before we begin Side 2. (Pause) Thank you. Here's Side 2." It's pretty silly and pretty funny.

The top-notch songs are all top-notch. "I Won't Back Down" is a great fight/motivational song. "Running Down a Dream" is a great workout/driving song. "Free Fallin'" is a great sing-along song. "Alright For Now" is a great lullabye song. And "Yer So Bad" is a great funny song.

And all the rest of the songs are rich in album-depth depth. It's the type of album you could play on repeat for pretty much the whole day without getting tired of it. (And when I say, "you," I don't just mean "me." I mean "you," dear reader, no matter who you may be.)

This is the highest-rated album on my list that does not feature a song from my HondoJoe Top 200 songs list on it. (To be fair, a viable argument could be made that any--or all--of the five "Top-Notch" songs from this album could--or should--be included on that list.) But, I think that just goes to show how the incredible depth and flow of this album. It's one of the best albums by anyone ever. That's my opinion, and I won't back down.


Up next: Better than Johnny Bravo's bachelor pad!


Comments

  1. darenolsonJanuary 27, 2022 at 10:34 AM

    I didn't like Tom Petty while I was in high school. His voice grated on my ears in much the same way that Bob Dylan's voice did. Consequently, I was more likely to make fun of Tom's voice (and Dillon's) while his songs were playing than actually listen to them. But then Jeff Lynne stepped into the picture and changed all of that, first with Traveling Wilburys Volume 1 and then Full Moon Fever. Of course, when I heard "End of the Line" I initially thought that I was just tolerating Tom's and Bob's voices because I liked Harrison, Lynne, and Orbison so much. So I still had plausible deniability when it came to liking Tom Petty. But then Full Moon Fever came out, and I heard "I Won't Back Down"--which became a bit of a personal fight song for me that ended up in the Top 5 of my Top 200 songs--and that changed everything. I could no longer say I didn't like Tom Petty. And surprisingly enough, I started liking his older songs more than I ever did before. And that is why Jeff Lynne should produce all albums from now on--if he can turn it around for Tom Petty, he can make anyone's music better.

    Nardo

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