Max Picks …songs from 1989

1989

Tom Petty – Free Fallin’

Free Fallin’ may be the song he is most remembered by. Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne wrote and recorded “Free Fallin’” in just two days, the first song completed for Full Moon Fever. “We had a multitude of acoustic guitars,” Petty told Rolling Stone of the song’s Byrds-y feel. “So it made this incredibly dreamy sound.”

Tom Petty: “There’s not a day that goes by that someone doesn’t hum ‘Free Fallin” to me or I don’t hear it somewhere,”  “But it was really only 30 minutes of my life.”

Replacements – I’ll Be You

My favorite band of the 1980s. I was so amazed to hear The Replacements on mainstream radio at this time. This was the closest the Replacements came to having a “hit.” It peaked at #51 on the Billboard 100 and #1 on the Modern Rock Charts in 1989. The song did expand its audience with younger kids coming to see them without knowing their back catalog. This was an annoyance to some of the band members who some nights didn’t play I’ll Be You.

The line, “Left a Rebel without a clue” was later borrowed by Tom Petty into his hit, “Into the Great Wide Open,” in 1991. The Replacements opened up for Petty in his 1989 tour with the Heartbreakers.

Roy Orbison – You Got It

Roy was making a great comeback in the late eighties. He was a member of the Traveling Wilburys and he finished a new album called Mystery Girl in November of 1988. He confided in Johnny Cash that he was having chest pains and he would have to have it looked at…he never did.

The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 was rising in the charts and he flew to Europe to do a show and came back and did a few more in America. On December 6, 1988, he flew model planes with his kids and after dinner passed away at the age of 52.

I remember watching the Traveling Wilburys video “End of the Line”. They made the video after Roy passed away… when his part came up they showed an empty rocking chair with Roy’s picture beside it.

You Got It featured Jeff Lynn, Tom Petty, and Phil Jones.

Bonnie Raitt – A Thing Called Love

Thing Called Love was written by John Hiatt for his 1987 album Bring the Family. Bonnie covered this song for her 1989 Nick of Time album.  

Nick of Time was Bonnie Raitt’s breakthrough album. After years of endless touring and making albums it all paid off with this album.

This is the song that really got me into the newer version Bonnie Raitt. I did like her earlier hit Runaway and I’d heard of her music and read about her. She paid her dues and I was happy to see her hit big. She is an extremely gifted slide guitar player and singer.

Neil Young – Rockin’ In The Free World

This is from our favorite Canadian Neil Young. It surprised me that this was released in 1989. I remember it the most in the 90s.
This was inspired by the political changes going on at the time, and was highly critical of George Bush Sr. Some of the lyrics mock Bush’s campaign speeches: “We got 1,000 points of light, for the homeless man,” “We got a kinder, gentler machine gun hand.”

Rocking In A Free World was written in February 1989, as Neil Young toured the Pacific Northwest. Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini had just issued a fatwa ordering Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie because of his controversial novel The Satanic Verses and Russia had recently withdrawn its forces from Afghanistan.

Pearl Jam has performed this song from time to time with Young, who said that Neil is their musical mentor. The first time they performed it together was at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards, where the “Jeremy” video won four awards. Young came on as a surprise guest.

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

52 thoughts on “Max Picks …songs from 1989”

  2. Once again I really like your list. Nice to see Canada represented twice, Neil and in the Replacements song lyrics! The choices from Bonnie and Roy both significant in more ways than one. Glad you reminded me of the rocking chair and picture of Roy in the Wilburys video, class move.

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    1. Lonely, I guess that’s where I’m from
      If I was from Canada
      Then I’d best be called lonesome
      I always liked that lyric…
      It was a good year…between Petty and The Replacements I was happy.

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    1. I know dude…so sad…he had his career back in full damn swing…that wasn’t a pity hit either….that would have been a big hit if he was alive…so sad.

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  4. A little known fact…one of the skaters in the “Free Fallin'” video is in jail for murdering his girlfriend’d best friend. His name is Gator Rogowski if anyone is interested in the bizarre story. There’s even a documentary. (which i recommend)

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    2. Just went to a site that he has served 31 years for the brutal rape and murder of the woman and was paroled once, but Gov rescinded it, got paroled again, and once again the Gov rescinded the parole.

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      2. All of this is true. Check out the documentary “Gator” if you want to know the story behind the rise and fall of the dude. He was making a lot of money during the 80’s and kind of went insane when his career was dying. The trappings of fame and ego are no joke.

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  5. I was figuring Rolling Stones would top your list! I liked that Tom Petty album a lot though ‘Free fallin” wasn’t near my personal top of the list from it or the year, but certainly he had a big year as did all the Wilburys. ’89 was a good year for music, my list would reflect The Cure, Love & Rockets, REM and things like that but you have good choices there. Neil would have been close to my top 5 mind you, love that song! It was also the year in Toronto when CFNY was sold to a new company and all of a sudden we started hearing Janet Jackson and the Stones and a lot more Madonna mixed in with the Smiths, D Mode and New Order… very few were chuffed about that I can tell you!

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    1. No…I wasn’t bowled over by Steel Wheels…I liked Mixed Emotions and most of all Sad, Sad, Sad but I couldn’t pick them over these.
      My two albums that year were The Replacements and Full Moon Fever…
      One of the reasons on REM is because I’ve had them so many times and more in the future…that is the only reason they are not on here.
      The others you mentioned I would agree…I guess I was really mainstream this year! Next year was really good because of a throw back band!

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      1. ‘Full Moon Fever’ just might be my favorite album Petty did – right there with ‘Damn the Torpedoes’ at least. Oh yeah, someone else mentioned Don Henley – I did love his ‘End of the Innocence’ album, it was probably my favorite ‘mainstream’ type album of that year.

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      2. I liked that album also I will admit…if I had more room I would have had The Last Worthless Evening…that is the song that really stuck with me and I saw him on that tour…no comment on that!
        Those are the two Petty albums that I like best and I like Hard Promises…it had The Waiting.

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      2. Yes! But I have to say that engine gave me no trouble…with that car it was the rear end (not sure the proper name) that kept going out. I learned how to install it and I ended up replacing 3 of them in it. The engine was too strong for it and I didn’t peel out or anything…I don’t drive fast.

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  7. Perfect song for the times it represented. Vampires with dark eye makeup, weeny assed boys that couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag, Tom perched on the roof looking down at the retro birthday party, then the skateboard half-pipe with that all American teenager dropping in. Whatever happened to her? We know about Tom, but she remains a mystery. I’m a Traveling Wilbury’s fan from day one, if you want, you can call them a super-group, but that term is sort of lame, like Super Models. Orbison’s death was a great loss to the music world. He left a legacy of masterful tunes, and if he had lived a while longer, would have given us more. Dylan needs to take better care of himself, as well as Jeff Lynn. When Dylan goes to LaLa Land, that’s the “End of The Line.” As always, great stuff from Mr. Badfinger.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Phil. I remember that vampire thing going on back then. He had another song about them on that album.
      Devon Kidd is the woman…she was and still is a looker. She is a ski instructor I believe.
      Yea Roy dying at that age was awful…he had just got his career back with the Wilburys and his solo album that hit.

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  8. There were some good songs in the late 80s early nineties just less of them.
    Steel Wheels was very hit and miss, Sad Sad Sad, Hold on to Your Hat, Continental Drift, and that’s about it for me, once they’d singled out and then thrashed ‘Mixed Emotions’ to death. Nowadays Blinded By Love has moved past whinnyingly annoying- and I’m a Stones fan willing to forgive a LOT.

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    1. I’m a Stones fan as you know…I will say that to me…Tattoo You was the last one I fell in love with. There were some good songs on Steel Wheels and if I had 6 or 7 selections…I probably would hve added Sad Sad Sad….thanks for bringing up Continental Drift…I forgot about that one.

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  9. No Don Henley’s Heart of the Matter or End of the Innocence? No Dirty Boulevard Lou Reed, no Panic Beach Maria McKee, no Most of the Time Dylan….no, ‘I got to extremes’.. Billy.. Love the picks Free Fallin and You got it. I give you a B plus. I’m just busting your balls some haha Nice collage from that era.

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    1. Hey…Matt I encourage people to do what you just did! When I liimited myself to 5…it’s hard as hell. That year The Replacements and Tom Petty were my major two albums. Heart of the Matter was a favorite of mine also…there were a few.
      I’m stopping in 1995…and after that I’ll do a few posts on the songs I missed.

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      2. LOL…well if you post more than say 5 videos…it really slows down loading the page…that is the reason I did it…I wanted 10…I guess I could have linked them instead.

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  10. Max, what a playlist! Good stuff. I think I have a mental block about how young Roy O was when he passed. I adore that song. Didn’t know Lynn and Petty were involved with it or that it was made around the time of the Traveling… Seeing that chair on the train made me choke up.

    That Bonnie album is when I started listening and bought every one of her albums for awhile. I love her slide and the spin of her voice. She’s one of a kind to me.

    Uncle Neil is a musical hero to me. He’s never been afraid to speak out. This is one of his finest political songs. The part about the baby and the garbage can, and “one more kid who will never go to school, never get to be hip, never get to be cool.” I remember crying when I heard that the first time. I think Neil stepped up after Pearl Jam’s Roskilde tragedy where fans were crushed to death against the stage, when the band was devastated and questioning whether or not to keep making music. Mirror Ball brought them back from the precipice.

    Sorry for the long post but I’m geeked about your choices.

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    1. I’m glad you liked it Lisa! Never worry about a long comment!
      I only have a few more left…I stop at 1995.
      I listened to the radio a lot in 1989… I had to leave off so many songs in this year.
      I was so happy to see Bonnie Raitt make it big! She paid her dues X10.
      Neil was great in this and not that he vanished before this but I was happy to see him in the spotlight again.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. Great picks, Max. As a Neil Young fan, of course, I have to hone in on “Rockin’ In the Free World” – what an epic song. I also particularly love the Tom Petty and Bonnie Raitt songs you picked.

    Also, thanks for previously introducing me to The Replacements and for continuing to feature them – great band – turns out I’ve yet to include them in my Sunday Six – just wrote down their name before I forget it again! 🙂

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    1. That was a giant hit for Neil…I was happy to see and hear him everywhere back then play this.

      When you do a Replacements song…see if you like either Skyway or Here Comes A Regular… those two are on their softer side…really good songs! But of course you could go for Alex Chilton…many people know that one.

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  12. Bonnie Raitt became an overnight sensation with her tenth album. I don’t know how many times I’d seen her before that – she seemed to be here every spring in the 70s. It was from her that I learned that Saigon had fallen on April 29, 1975 (it was the 30th in Saigon). 1989 was also her duet with John Lee Hooker on “I’m in the Mood”. Hooker put out an album with the younger generation – Raitt, Santana, Los Lobos, Robert Cray, George Thorogood, Canned Heat, Charlie Musselwhite – paying tribute.

    Check out Norton Buffalo following her through key changes on four different harps on “Runaway”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPzcZNgVfpA

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    1. I do remember that Hooker album…I’m writing up the original I’m In The Mood.
      That harp playing is incredible. I’ve played but never could bend notes worth a dam. That was some great playing.

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  15. “This was an annoyance to some of the band members who some nights didn’t play I’ll Be You.” – I will never understand why artists get annoyed at how someone comes around to liking something they created. If I were a card-carrying member of a creative community like music, I’d like to think I’d be grateful for any and all fans. I do get you liking them so much – favorite band of the 80’s is high praise indeed, Max!

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    1. Bruce…they shot themselves in the foot so many times. I think they were afraid of success and failure at the same time. They very well could have been as big as REM…they were on the same circuit. They refused to make videos in the mid eighties, got banned from SNL, etc…
      The Grateful Dead did the very same thing with Touch of Grey…they would not play it every night. I don’t get it either…but the Dead had a massive audience by then to fall back on.

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  16. It’s a good year for classic rockers coming back…. I would have guessed Free Fallin’, or at least something from Full Moon Fever, being on the list. ‘I’ll Be You’ is easily the best song on the last two Replacements records IMO.

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