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 cold
I walked out in the street
Daydreamed for a mile or two
Staring at my feet

Like a workin’ boy, out of luck
Fallin’ through the cracks
Night rolled in, I turned back home
A 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 stunned
I could not come around
I reached out to grab my keys
Tumbled to the ground

I thought of you, starry eyed
I wonder where we stand
Did I just fall from your arms
Down 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 out
Standin’ in a doorway

I’m out
Walkin’ around
Hands in my pockets
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)

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. View all posts by Badfinger (Max)