Free Fallin'
| "Free Fallin'" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Free Fallin" (Live) US 7" single only "Down the Line" US cassette single only "Love Is a Long Road" UK 12", 7" and CD single only |
"Free Fallin" is the opening track from Tom Petty's 1989 solo album, Full Moon Fever. The song was written by Petty and his writing partner for the album, Jeff Lynne. The song was released as a single, and was a top 10 U.S. hit in January, 1990. It also topped the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Considered to be one of the more introspective songs in Petty's body of work, "Free Fallin'" uses a simple acoustic riff coupled with offbeat lyrics. The song has an easy, mid-tempo acoustic rock structure, and features Petty's signature vocal style.
Lyrics
The lyrics describe a relationship between a "good girl" and a "bad boy." The "good girl" loves Jesus and horses, while the "bad boy" breaks her heart and doesn't even miss her (or so he claims; some of the later lyrics suggest that he has not gotten over her). Imagery of the Los Angeles area is evident throughout the song, with references to:
- Reseda - a neighbourhood of Los Angeles
- "The valley" - the San Fernando Valley, in which Reseda is located
- Ventura Boulevard - a primary east-west thouroughfare in the San Fernando Valley
- "Mulholland" - a reference to Mulholland Drive, a well-known road in Los Angeles
Inspiration
In interviews, Petty says the song was written after a roadie purchased a keyboard that Tom did not particularly care for. The roadie told Petty that if he wrote one song on it, that it would pay for itself. Petty ended up writing "Free Fallin'" on the keyboard, and played the opening riff for Jeff Lynne, his producer. "Just to make Jeff smile I sang 'She's a good girl, loves her mama' and from there I wrote the first and second verses completely spontaneously," Petty said.
Axl Rose once asked Tom how he came up with the line about vampires to which Tom replied, "When I'm driving, sometimes I see these shadowy-looking people just off the sidewalks, around the post office. I always thought of them as vampires for some reason."
Trivia
- The song was covered by Petty's friend, Stevie Nicks on her 1998 box set, Enchanted: the Works of Stevie Nicks.
- The song has been sampled by rapper Pimp C for his song "I'm Free" off his 2006 album "Pimpalation".
- The song has been featured in the soundtrack to the television show, Party of Five and the movie, Jerry Maguire.
- The iconic video for "Free Fallin'" featured vert skateboarding star Mark "Gator" Rogowski and his girlfriend Brandi McClain. Mark Rogowski later got addicted to fame, drugs and alcohol. Then after his bitter break up with Brandi McClain, he snapped and raped and murdered her best friend whom he blamed for the break up. He is currently in prison.