A song has usually been out for months, if not years, by the time it reaches the ears of music lovers. This is the reason why rumors about bands and artists getting bored with their own music frequently surface. They invest a lot of time in writing, recording, and practicing the song before promoting and playing it live. Tom Petty knew a song would be a hit if he never got tired of it.
Some songs sound amazing when they are first released. They have such a novel, appealing, and catchy sound. They become the hottest new hit of the moment and people play them nonstop for several weeks. However, they quickly get repetitive or overdone. That’s what separates a song that quickly climbs to the top of the charts from a one-hit wonder, or a song that enjoys a brief 15 minutes of fame. And that’s all after it leaves the band’s practice space.
It appears to be a useful method for determining how long a track will last. The musicians have immersed themselves in that music in the background for a long time, even before releasing a song. It’s not a quick process; songs require a lot of time to get right, both in terms of the actual composition and in terms of the production details or figuring out how to adapt them for a live audience. For the artists, a track becomes old by the time they officially release it. If they’re already sick of the song. they’ve probably heard it hundreds of times. It’s probably a good indication that it won’t be around for very long.
Tom Petty adhered to that philosophy. In fact, when it came to his first solo album, Full Moon Fever, he cherished the philosophy. Even after spending so much time on the record, he hoped that his fans would grow weary of it as well.
Before I released the album, I was obsessed with it for a full year, according to Petty. He was unable to maintain composure regarding the record. Even after months of work, he was still genuinely excited to listen to the album. He felt confident and proud of his creation even before releasing it. The album would go on to receive critical and popular acclaim. Even after the album was finished being mixed, mastered, produced, and ready to be released, Petty was still filled with a joyful eagerness to release it with every listen. He exclaimed, “It was embarrassing how excited I was.”
Throughout the year he worked on the album. He never got tired of one track in particular, which made him feel confident. “I never got tired of hearing ‘Free Fallin,’ I was so sure about it,” he remarked. He was so sure of the release. In fact, that he was afraid it would shatter his foundation as an artist if his prediction of its success proved incorrect. Petty stated, “I think I wouldn’t want to do it anymore if it failed,” implying that the album’s demise would force him to reconsider his place in the business or the creative community as a whole.
But luckily, Petty was right all along. Full Moon Fever is regarded as his pinnacle of achievement. It was an artistic achievement as well as a commercial success, shooting to the top of charts worldwide. His sentiments regarding “Free Fallin” were particularly accurate because the song turned into one of his greatest hits and a beloved classic rock song.
