Not being inspired can be a death knell for any artist trying to create magic in the studio.
While it’s common to feel frustrated with a track, the moment an artist admits they lack direction, it’s usually time to step back or scrap the idea altogether.
This was the case for Tom Petty when he was called into the studio to finalize the soundtrack for She’s the One, despite having laid much of the groundwork already.
This reaction is curious since Petty had transformed the studio into a sanctuary while working on Wildflowers. As he faced a tumultuous divorce, creating music became a therapeutic outlet, allowing him to channel his emotions into his songs rather than discussing them directly.
Though Petty considered Wildflowers a nearly flawless record, he had a stash of tunes waiting to be used. While songs like “Girl on LSD” wouldn’t see the light of day, even a playful track like that seemed superior to much of what Bruce Springsteen was releasing at the time.
A soundtrack album could have been an ideal opportunity for Petty to clear out his backlog, yet he likely felt as if he was watching his children leave home.
Soundtracks are often where songs go to fade away, seldom receiving the attention they deserve.
Although the lead single “Walls (Circus)” stands out as one of Petty’s best ballads, it wasn’t a blockbuster hit like “My Heart Will Go On.”
Most of the album doesn’t flow like a traditional record. While Petty aimed to create music that complemented the film, many tracks feel more like individual vignettes than cohesive songs, such as the rockabilly-inspired “Zero From Outer Space” or his cover of Beck’s “Asshole.”
Despite a solid selection, Petty’s efforts to collaborate with other artists led him to question the project’s viability. He stated, “I started to do it and realized, ‘This is a bad thing.’ Because I know these people don’t want to give anything good.
Who wants to give their best stuff away, right? And those albums just really suck, every fucking one of them. So I just took a bunch of stuff that I had leftover from Wildflowers and hastily did a couple more tracks.”
Even if the album primarily consists of leftover material, it would be a shame if some songs never saw the light of day.
“Angel Dream” is one of Petty’s gentlest ballads, and even if it didn’t fit on Wildflowers, the collaboration with Ringo Starr and Carl Wilson on “Hung Up and Overdue” boasts star power too significant to be overlooked.
While She’s the One may not showcase the best of Petty’s work, it offers diehard fans a unique glimpse into his creative process.
Although the film itself may not be particularly memorable, listeners will find it hard to forget a tune like “Walls.”
