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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Awesome! 😎
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That was a crazy year for me but I remember several of the songs from that album. Lynn was a busy boy in the 80s!
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Yes he was busy…George, Tom, himself (Armchair Theater), Roy, and a few years later The Beatles.
The title track to the album and Learning To Fly pulled me in.
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He also did a couple Edmunds albums in 83 and 84.
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Thats right! Slippin’ Away was the time I became an Edmunds fan…I only knew I Hear You Knoocking at that point really…and a little of Rockpile.
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Cool and Information as well. Edmunds said it was the best experience he ever had making an album. Funny though not my favourites of his stuff. But I love Jeff Lynn.
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It doesn’t sound like his other stuff…the ELO sound drifted in there naturally.
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Sure did I guess I got to used to that retro sound.
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I totally forgot about that song! I think Lynne did wonders for Tom, I had both those albums and played them quite a lot. Even many of the non-single cuts were very good
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I remember the day I bought that album. I had forgot about this song as well…I originally wrote this up for Jim’s SLS but picked Gene Vincent instead.
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This sounds familiar. Nice and smooth as you said. I love the stage they are playing on. So roomy.
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