Petty Love

Songwriters often pay homage to classic artists by name-dropping in their songs. In country music, lyrics about Willie (Nelson) and the Man in Black (Johnny Cash) pop up here and there. Waylon Jennings is another. Brad Paisley wrote a song about playing "some old Alabama," and even collaborated with them to record the song.

Gretchen Wilson unapologetically proclaims in Redneck Woman, that she knows all the words to Tania Tucker, Bocephus (Hank Williams Jr.), and Charlie Daniels songs. She also shares that she has a poster collection of (Lynard) Skynard, Kid (Rock) and (George) Strait on her wall. And of course, who hasn't heard Taylor Swifts' Tim McGraw? No subtlety there, it's right in the title.

I guess it shouldn't surprise me. Singers and songwriters are likely to be huge fans of other singers and songwriters, probably even bigger fans than those of us in the general public. After all, it's their business, their passion. As a writer I have favorite authors, and as a teacher I have mentor teachers, both local and in the expert field. Why wouldn't we expect the same from artists?

I noticed however, in the past several months there's been a recurring name in country music. It's no surprise to me country artists, many from the south, have roots in southern rock. Many southern rock artists probably have some roots in country music. But without a doubt, many of the younger country artists are rockin' it out to Tom Petty. It seems he's a driving favorite, a hanging' with my baby favorite, a quotable favorite. Since I started realizing I was hearing his name a lot in other people's songs, I began collecting lyric lines (first one in my journal is dated January 10th) knowing there was a piece to be written. I have visited them in my journal several times thinking the inspiration was there, but I just wasn't ready. Until tonight. My friend Helen and I have been playing with song lyrics and found poetry recently, so I decided to read through the two pages tonight. I wrote a poem alternating the country song lyrics with TP's name in them, with lines I pulled from his songs. I am a huge fan of Petty myself and have several of his albums. I've seen him in concert twice by the way, and a Tom Petty concert ticket is money well spent! Welcome to Petty Country.

I've started out for God knows where

I guess I'll know when I get there

A great big world with lots of places to run to.

Slow driving south with the top drop down,

her hair in the wind, Tom Petty up loud.

The sun beat down.

Throw your feet on the dash girl

You know I'm cool with that

And it's Tom Petty free fall by midnight

Don't it feel like something from a dream

She couldn't help thinkin'

That there was a little more to life somewhere else

Waiting's the hardest part, like Tom Petty said.

It's alright if you love me

It's alright if you don't

I still love Tom Petty songs.

I'm learning to fly but I an't got wings

Coming down is the hardest thing

Hummin' that old Tom Petty song

She wanted me to break her fall

I wanna love you 

God it's so painful when something that's so close

Is still so far out of reach

The town lit up, the world got still

Steady as a Tom Petty track

I wanna write her name in the sky

I wanna free fall out into nothin'

Just good times on the way

Tom Petty on the radio