Tom Petty – Out In The Cold

I saw them on this tour (Into The Great Wide Open), and it would be the only time I got to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He came to Nashville on that last tour, and I stupidly didn’t go. I bought this album the day it was released. It will always be one of my favorite Petty albums.

Petty had released his solo album Full Moon Fever in 1989, and it was huge, with 5 singles pulled from it. This album was a reunion with the Heartbreakers, and 7 singles were pulled from this album, including this one. The making of Into the Great Wide Open emerged from a creative stretch where Tom Petty felt clear again after the fights with record labels that had plagued him earlier in his career. Coming off Full Moon Fever, he wasn’t trying to recreate that sound. He wanted to make a real band record, one that sounded lived-in, and he succeeded with this one.

A huge part of the album’s sound came from working again with Jeff Lynne, who helped keep everything tight without making it stiff. Lynne pushed for clean arrangements and strong melodies, but Petty made sure the songs still breathed and felt organic. Many tracks started as simple demos, acoustic guitar and voice, then slowly grew as the band locked into the groove. First takes often mattered more than perfection.

This song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts in 1991. The album peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200, #4 in Canada, #12 in New Zealand, and # #3 in the UK. This song was written by Petty and Jeff Lynne.

 

Out in the Cold

The day fell down, the air got coldI walked out in the streetDaydreamed for a mile or twoStaring at my feet

Like a workin’ boy, out of luckFallin’ through the cracksNight rolled in, I turned back homeA hard wind at my back

I’m out in the cold (Out in the cold)Body and soul (Out in the cold)There’s nowhere to go (Out in the cold)I’m out in the cold (Out in the cold)

Well I woke up, my brain was stunnedI could not come aroundI reached out to grab my keysTumbled to the ground

I thought of you, starry eyedI wonder where we standDid I just fall from your armsDown into your hands?

I’m out in the cold (Out in the cold)Body and soul (Out in the cold)There’s nowhere to go (Out in the cold)I’m out in the cold (Out in the cold)

I’m outStandin’ in a doorway

I’m outWalkin’ aroundHands in my pocketsI’m out in the cold (Out in the cold)Body and soul (Out in the cold)There’s nowhere to go (Out in the cold)I’m out in the cold (Out in the cold)

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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.

40 thoughts on “Tom Petty – Out In The Cold”

  2. Pingback: Tom Petty – Out In The Cold – MobsterTiger

      2. Yes! Valium kinda makes things go by fast! That was so stupid of me…I wasn’t a drug taker but a friend offered me two…and being 21 or so…yea what the hell! “Here is Tom Petty!” …then what seemed like a minute later…”There goes Tom Petty!”

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      4. Yep! Funny story…he happened to get some and the next night we did a couple again… We took them at the Nashville State Fair… and we both said about 30 minutes after we took them…”they are not working!” Then we noticed we were both leaning against a pole in a tent lol…. oh yea…they were working!

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  10. Good rocker from Petty that I hardly ever hear. Glad you are coming back from your weather/power ordeal. Tomorrow’s high here is supposed to be 8 F with sub-zero wind chills. I think next week is supposed to get into the 30s. Let’s hope.

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  12. Great song. Even though I also have the “Into the Great Wide Open” album on CD, I didn’t recall “Out In the Cold,” based on its title. Once I started listening, it came back to me. It’s been a long time I’ve listened to the album. I best remember “Learning to Fly” and the title track. Both singles frequently received airtime on my favorite radio station back in Germany, especially the first song.

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