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Free Fallin'

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Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = Free Fallin'

| cover = Free Fallin' Single art.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Tom Petty

| album = Full Moon Fever

| B-side =

| released =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = 4:14

| label = MCA

| writer =

* Tom Petty

* Jeff Lynne

| producer =

* Jeff Lynne

* Tom Petty

* Mike Campbell

| prev_title = Runnin' Down a Dream

| prev_year = 1989

| next_title = A Face in the Crowd

| next_year = 1990

| misc =

}}

"'Free Fallin'" is the opening track from American musician Tom Petty's debut solo album, 'Full Moon Fever' (1989). The song was written by Petty and his writing partner for the album, Jeff Lynne, and features Lynne on backing vocals and bass guitar. The duo wrote and recorded the single in two days, making it the first song completed for 'Full Moon Fever'.

"Free Fallin'" is one of Petty's most famous tracks as well as his highest- and longest-charting. It peaked at No. 7 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 singles chart in January 1990, becoming his third and final top ten hit. Petty and The Heartbreakers performed the song at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1989, with Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin, and at the February 2008 Super Bowl XLII Halftime Show. The song is ranked No. 219 on 'Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was featured in the film 'Jerry Maguire' (1996) and 'The Sopranos' episode 2.13, "Funhouse" (2000). Lou Reed selected the song as one of his "picks of 1989".'Rolling Stone', March 8, 1990 The song was #2 on the Spotify 'Global Viral 50' following the death of Petty.

Los Angeles-area references



The song's lyrics make references to the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, including:

* Reseda a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley

* 101 "Ventura" Freeway – the lyrics mention "a freeway runnin' through the yard" of the subject's Reseda home - putatively the 101 Freeway, which has an exit for Reseda Boulevard, albeit in the higher-income neighborhood of Tarzana

* "The Valley" a colloquial name for the San Fernando Valley

* Ventura Boulevard a primary east-west thoroughfare that runs along the southern border of the San Fernando Valley

* "Mulholland" a reference to Mulholland Drive, a road that follows the ridgeline of the eastern Santa Monica Mountains and the Hollywood Hills between the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood

Development and meaning



Petty explained in an interview with 'Billboard' magazine that he and Jeff Lynne were sitting around trying to come up with a song, and Lynne got him to say "free falling". The next day they recorded the song. Petty did not write the song about a specific person, but instead about what he saw during his frequent drives along Ventura Boulevard.

Reception



"Free Fallin'" is widely regarded as one of Petty's best songs. 'Billboard' and 'Rolling Stone' both ranked the song number four on their lists of the greatest Tom Petty songs.

Personnel



* Tom Petty lead & backing vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar

* Mike Campbell 12-string electric guitar

* Jeff Lynne acoustic guitar, bass, synthesizer, backing vocals

* Phil Jones drums and tambourine

Music video



The music video was for the song was directed by Piers Garland and Julien Temple and features a teenage girl seen in various places around Los Angeles, including a 1960s pool party and a 1980s skate park. Petty is also seen performing in these places and others, such as the former Westside Pavilion mall.

Track listings



Charts and certifications



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Certifications



Release history



Cover versions



* In 1993, De La Soul and Teenage Fanclub sampled the song for "Fallin'", which appeared on the 'Judgment Night' soundtrack.

* In 2007, John Mayer played an acoustic cover of the song in a performance at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, as a part of his 2008 live album 'Where the Light Is'. The single was certified double platinum in Australia in 2021.

* In 2017, Coldplay covered the song with Peter Buck of R.E.M. in Portland, Oregon as a tribute to Petty following his death. Coldplay performed the song again in Pasadena, California with James Corden.

References




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