A Face in the Crowd (Tom Petty song)

Last updated
"A Face in the Crowd"
TP - A Face in the Crowd single.JPG
Single by Tom Petty
from the album Full Moon Fever
B-side "A Mind with a Heart of Its Own"
ReleasedFebruary 1990
Genre Heartland rock [1]
Length3:58
Label MCA
Songwriter(s) Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne
Producer(s) Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell
Tom Petty singles chronology
"Free Fallin'"
(1989)
"A Face in the Crowd"
(1990)
"Yer So Bad"
(1990)

"A Face in the Crowd" is a song co-written and recorded by Tom Petty. It was released in February 1990 as the fourth single from his first solo album Full Moon Fever . It peaked at number 46 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. [2]

Contents

Content

The narrator discusses falling in love with someone who used to be just "a face in the crowd."

Other performances

Kathleen Edwards released a version of the song on the Sweetheart: Love Songs covers compilation from 2004 on Hear Music.

Josh Klinghoffer, formerly of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, briefly performed the song at the band's October 7, 2017, show in Texas in tribute to Petty, who died five days earlier,

A cover of the song by Spoon was released on March 12, 2021. [3]

Charts

Chart (1990)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 10046
U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks5
Canadian RPM Top Singles20
Dutch Singles Chart25
UK Singles Chart93

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoon (band)</span> American rock band

Spoon is an American rock band from Austin, Texas, consisting of members Britt Daniel, Jim Eno (drums), Alex Fischel, Gerardo Larios and Ben Trokan. The band was formed in Austin in October 1993 by Daniel and Eno. Critics have described the band's musical style as indie rock, post-punk, and art rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drift Away</span> 1970 song written by Mentor Williams

"Drift Away" is a song by Mentor Williams, written in 1970 and originally recorded by British singer Mike Berry on his 1972 album Drift Away. A version by John Henry Kurtz was released two months later in November 1972. Mentor Williams was a country songwriter, and John Henry Kurtz was an actor and swamp rock singer. It was later given to soul singer Dobie Gray for whom it became a surprise international hit. In 1973, the song became Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and receiving a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song has been covered by numerous musicians.

"Pledging My Love" is a blues ballad. It was written by Ferdinand Washington and Don Robey and published in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Fallin'</span> 1989 single by Tom Petty

"Free Fallin" is the opening track from American musician Tom Petty's debut solo album, Full Moon Fever (1989). The song was written by Petty and his writing partner for the album, Jeff Lynne, and features Lynne on backing vocals and bass guitar. The duo wrote and recorded the single in two days, making it the first song completed for Full Moon Fever.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right</span> Song

"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" is a song written by Stax Records songwriters Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, and Raymond Jackson. Originally written for The Emotions, it has been performed by many singers, most notably by Luther Ingram, whose original recording topped the R&B chart for four weeks and rose to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. Billboard ranked it as the No. 16 song for 1972.

"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" is a song, written by Cecil Null.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugee (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)</span> 1980 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Refugee" is a song recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in January 1980 as the second single from their album Damn the Torpedoes, and peaking at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song is in compound AABA form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Need to Know (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)</span> 1978 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"I Need to Know" is a song written by Tom Petty and recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in 1978 as the first single from their second album You're Gonna Get It!. It peaked at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1978. This song as well as "Listen to Her Heart" was already being played live in concert as early as June 14, 1977, as is evidenced in a performance on Germany's music television show "Rockpalast".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Listen to Her Heart</span> 1978 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Listen to Her Heart" is a song recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in August 1978 as the second single from their second album, You're Gonna Get It!. It peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in October 1978. This song as well as "I Need to Know" was already being played live as early as June 14, 1977 as is evidenced in Germany's music television show, Rockpalast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solitary Man (song)</span> 1966 single by Neil Diamond

"Solitary Man" is a song written by American musician Neil Diamond, who recorded the song for Bang Records in late January 1966. It has since been covered many times, notably by T. G. Sheppard, Gianni Morandi, Chris Isaak, Johnny Cash and HIM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)</span> 1981 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)" is a song recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in June 1981 as the second single from their album Hard Promises. It peaked at number 79 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Waiting (song)</span> 1981 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"The Waiting" is the lead single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' album Hard Promises released in 1981. The song peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the magazine's new Rock Tracks chart, where it remained for six consecutive weeks during the summer of 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Got Lucky</span> 1982 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"You Got Lucky" is the first single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' album Long After Dark. The song peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, where it stayed for three weeks at the end of 1982. Somewhat unusually for a Petty song, guitars give up the spotlight to allow synths to carry the song's main structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Change of Heart (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)</span> 1983 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Change of Heart" is a song recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in February 1983 as the third single from their fifth album Long After Dark. It peaked at number 21 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The B side, "Heartbreakers Beach Party," was exclusive to this single and remained unreleased on CD until its inclusion on the 1995 box set Playback.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Here Comes My Girl</span> 1980 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Here Comes My Girl" is a song written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell, and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, their third single from their breakthrough hit 1979 album, Damn the Torpedoes. It peaked at number 59 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on May 24, 1980.

"Funny How Time Slips Away" is a song written by Willie Nelson and first recorded by country singer Billy Walker. Walker's version was issued as a single by Columbia Records in June 1961 and peaked at number 23 on the Hot C&W Sides chart. The song has been featured in several live action films and television shows, such as in the first episode of the second season of AMC’s Better Call Saul and in the 2020 Netflix drama The Devil All the Time.

"Darlin'" is a song written in 1970 by English sax player Oscar Stewart Blandamer. It was first released under the title "Darling" by the British country band Poacher in 1978. It was later a chart hit for Frankie Miller and David Rogers. The track was subsequently recorded by numerous artists including Tom Jones, Barbara Mandrell, Smokie and Johnny Reid.

"Running Kind" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released in January 1978 as the second and final single from the album, A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today. The song peaked at number 12 on the U.S. country singles chart and at number 10 on the Canadian country singles chart. The song was later covered by Radney Foster for the Haggard tribute album Mama's Hungry Eyes: A Tribute to Merle Haggard. Foster's version was released as a single in 1994 and peaked at number 64 on the U.S. country singles chart. Johnny Cash also covered the song with Tom Petty on the Unearthed box set.

"Thing About You" is a song written by Tom Petty, and recorded by American rock music group Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for their 1980 album Hard Promises. In 1985, it was covered by American country music group Southern Pacific, featuring Emmylou Harris, and was released in August 1985 as the second single from the band's self-titled debut album. The song reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unbreakable Heart</span>

"Unbreakable Heart" is a song written by Benmont Tench and first recorded by American country music artist Carlene Carter. It was released in October 1993 as the second single from her album Little Love Letters, produced by Howie Epstein, Tench's bandmate in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The song reached #51 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. In 2000, it was a single for Jessica Andrews.

References

  1. Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. p. 180. ISBN   978-1-4408-6579-4.
  2. Joel Whitburn, Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955-2010, Record Research, 2011.
  3. Martoccio, Angie (12 March 2021). "Watch Spoon Tear Through Tom Petty's 'Breakdown,' 'A Face in the Crowd'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 March 2021.