Tom Petty #2: Wildlflowers

Release Date: November 1, 1994

Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar); Mike Campbell (guitars); Jeff Lynne (bass, guitars, keyboard); Steve Ferrone (percussion); Howie Epstein (bass)

Produced by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and Rick Rubin

List of Tracks: Wildflowers; You Don't Know How It Feels; Time to Move On; You Wreck Me; It's Good to Be King; Only a Broken Heart; Honey Bee; Don't Fade on Me; Hard on Me; Cabin Down Below; To Find a Friend; A Higher Place; House in the Woods; Crawling Back to You; Wake Up Time

Recorded at the midpoint of his career, Tom Petty's second solo album Wildflowers took a reflective, even confessional turn at times. Like with Full Moon Fever, the Heartbreakers took part in the recordings and made many contributions, but with Tom having all creative authority. Steven Ferrone replaced Stan Lynch as drummer for the Heartbreakers, who parted ways amicably. The reputation of Wildflowers has grown through the years, enshrining Petty as a great American songwriter. Originally intended to be a double album, the full set was released in 2020 as Wildflowers & All the Rest.  

"Wildflowers" has become one of Petty's most downloaded songs, a fragile folk ballad about freedom and letting go. "You Don't Know How It Feels" became hit single, a confessional that speaks to the universal with its slow bluesy rock made it ideal for the airwaves Tench's organ adds a nice touch). Petty pays his debts to The Byrds once again with "Time to Move On", a country rocker with thoughtful lyrics with an undercurrent of restless resolve.

"You Wreck Me" really sounds like a Heartbreakers song from the Damn the Torpedoes/Hard Promises era with its precision and clarity. "It's Good to Be King" would point the way towards future Petty records, blissed out riffs within a sonically rich soundscape. The ironic commentary on rock stardom seemed relevant at the height of grunge. "Only a Broken Heart" may be the closest Petty ever came to replicating a Beatles song, John Lennon specifically in this case. "Honey Bee" is a bluesy rocker, lyrically adventurous with a sturdy sound.  

"Don't Fade on Me" is mostly acoustic with Petty delivering a haunting vocal, marking yet another progression in craft and expression. "Don't Make it Hard" is both mellow and vulnerable - not too far from The Eagles/Don Henley. "Cabin Down Below" cruises along on swagger, "It's Hard to Find a Friend", a folk-rock tune, muses on loneliness with Petty narrating a divorce in effective use of the third person. "A Higher Place" is pure power pop, as if unearthed from 1978. 

"House in the Woods" paints an uneasy picture of domesticity, at five minutes the builds towards a fully expressed state of mind. "Crawling Back to You" dwells on weariness but is also resigned. "Wake Up Time" speaks to middle age malaise (any age really) and finding the courage to rise above the moment and find purpose, Tom is our spiritual guide by the end.

Wildflowers is track for track some of Petty's finest work, the shift inward towards quiet reflective songs never detracted from his uncanny ability to speak to the universal. As a lyricist, Petty aims for clarity and achieves it here. The production brought a more balanced sound, allowing Petty to expand the scope of his sound while staying grounded.