Before they hear them perform a note of music together, everyone has their idea of a supergroup. Even while it’s simple to put a few artists in a room and expect sparks to fly. There are only so many times you can do it before you realize the chemistry isn’t working. While Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks may have hit it off from the first time they played together, their duet ‘Apartment Song‘ was never released.
By the time Tom Petty became a sensation, Stevie Nicks had already become his biggest fan. After suffering through some of the most difficult recording sessions anyone could have imagined for the album Rumours, Nicks began to listen to what Petty was doing to shape her solo career, stating that she would have preferred to join Petty’s band over her own.
Nicks was able to complete her solo record on good terms with the rest of her band. However, she knew right away that she wanted to collaborate with Petty. After requesting producer Jimmy Iovine to produce her latest album, Nicks requested that Petty compose a song. This became Petty’s beloved deep-cut ‘Insider‘.
Instead of giving her ‘Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,’ Nicks would become a fixture in Petty’s life on the road. Dealing with his burned-down house, Nicks became his confidante half the time in the late 1980s. She generally assisted him in getting his act together and even appeared onstage for the occasional duet.
After returning to Earth, Petty began to ponder what he could accomplish outside of the Heartbreakers. Petty, previously a member of the ensemble The Traveling Wilburys, decided to take things a step further with producer Jeff Lynne. They collaborated on what would become the album Full Moon Fever, with Lynne producing each song.
While the album is better recognized today for tunes like ‘I Won’t Back Down‘ and ‘Free Fallin”, ‘The Apartment Song‘ dates back a few years, being in Petty’s demo collections and even being considered for the first batch of songs featured on the album Southern Accents. Petty claimed a tape exists of him and Nicks singing the song as a duet.
Speaking with Paul Zollo, Petty recalled first recording the tune when Nicks came to visit. However, he kept her out of the final mix, saying, “I suppose, at that point, I wanted it to be solo.” I had never imagined it being a duet. But Stevie was there, so I presented her with the song I had composed. And she enjoyed it and sang along with it. There’s a good chance it’s a unique recording.
As much as Petty intended to be a solo performer, the record’s sound seemed ideal for a duet. Because both verses appear to be presenting different hilarious scenarios and the chorus mentions feeling lonely, it could be about two lovers trying to convince themselves that they’ve moved on without their other half while slowly sobbing themselves to sleep each night. Petty may have received aid from Lynne and even George Harrison on Full Moon Fever. Adding Nicks may have elevated this deep cut beyond just another pleasant rockabilly-style song.
