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Learning to Fly (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Learning to Fly
| cover = Tom petty the heartbreakers-learning to fly s.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
| album = Into the Great Wide Open
| B-side = Too Good to Be True
| released =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|Heartland rock||jangle pop}}
| length = 4:05
| label = MCA
| writer =
| producer =
| prev_title = Yer So Bad
| prev_year = 1990
| next_title = Into the Great Wide Open
| next_year = 1991
| misc =
}}
"'Learning to Fly'" is a song by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was written in 1991 by Tom Petty and his writing partner Jeff Lynne for the band's eighth studio album, 'Into the Great Wide Open' (1991). The entire song is based on four simple chords, (F, C, A minor, and G). It became a top hit for Petty and the Heartbreakers, topping the US Album Rock Tracks chart and peaking at number 28 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100.
Release
"Learning to Fly" was released as the first single from 'Into the Great Wide Open' and reached number 28 on the US 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart. It also became his most successful single on the 'Billboard' Album Rock Tracks chart, reaching the top of the chart and remaining at the summit for six weeks. The song was released in the United Kingdom on June 17, 1991, debuting at number 65 on the UK Singles Chart six days later. It rose to its peak of number 46 the following week and stayed on the UK chart for two more weeks before leaving the top 75.
The song was played and was a headline for an NBA home video documentary of the 199091 Chicago Bulls season.
Track listing
'7-inch vinyl'
:A. "Learning to Fly"
:B. "Too Good to Be True"
Personnel
'Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers'
* Tom Petty lead vocals and backing vocals, acoustic guitar
* Mike Campbell double neck electric guitar and backing vocals
* Howie Epstein bass and backing vocals
* Stan Lynch drums and percussion
* Benmont Tench synthesizer
'Others'
* Jeff Lynne backing vocals
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
Cover version
Petty's Traveling Wilburys bandmate Bob Dylan covered the song live in concert in Broomfield, Colorado on October 21, 2017, one day after what would have been Petty's 67th birthday. Critic Jack Whatley later cited the performance as one of the seven best covers of a Petty song.
References
Category:Tom Petty songs
Category:1991 singles
Category:1991 songs
Category:Black-and-white music videos
Category:Jangle pop songs
Category:MCA Records singles
Category:Music videos directed by Julien Temple
Category:Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne
Category:Songs written by Jeff Lynne
Category:Songs written by Tom Petty
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