Love Is a Long Road (song)

Last updated

"Love Is a Long Road"
Song by Tom Petty
from the album Full Moon Fever
A-side "Free Fallin'" (UK)
Released1989 (1989)
Recorded1987–1988
Genre
Length4:07
Label MCA
Songwriter(s)
  • Tom Petty
  • Mike Campbell
Producer(s)

"Love Is a Long Road" is a song by Tom Petty from his 1989 first solo album Full Moon Fever . Although only released as the B-side to "Free Fallin'" in the UK, and not released as a stand-alone single, it received a fair amount of radio airplay. In the U.S., it peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. [4] [5]

Contents

Background

The rock song was co-written by guitarist Mike Campbell, who was inspired by a motorcycle he owned. The musician told "I was really into that frame of mind. This feels like a motorcycle shifting gears." [2] "Love Is a Long Road" appears on the 2000 double-disc compilation album Anthology: Through the Years , as well as on the 1995 box set Playback . [1]

Critical reception

Another one of Petty's late-1980s songs which looks back at a fractured romance, AllMusic describes the song as sounding like a stripped-down version of the Who's classics "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", and one of the most powerful rockers on the album. [1] [2] Rolling Stone ranked the song at No. 38 in a list of Petty's 50 greatest songs. [2]

Media usage

In 2023, the song was used in the first trailer for the video game Grand Theft Auto VI . [6] It led to a 36,979% increase in streams on Spotify, skyrocketing from less than 5 million to nearly 40 million streams within a span of a few months. [7] [8]

Charts

1989 chart performance for "Love Is a Long Road"
Chart (1989)Peak
position
US Album Rock Tracks ( Billboard ) [9] 7
2023 chart performance for "Love Is a Long Road"
Chart (2023)Peak
position
US Rock Digital Song Sales ( Billboard ) [10] 7

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Petty</span> American rock musician (1950–2017)

Thomas Earl Petty was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was the leader of the rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. He was also a successful solo artist.

<i>Wildflowers</i> (Tom Petty album) 1994 studio album by Tom Petty

Wildflowers is the second solo studio album by American musician Tom Petty, released on November 1, 1994. The album was the first released by Petty after signing a contract with Warner Bros. Records and the first of three albums produced by Rick Rubin. The album was certified 3× platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>The Last DJ</i> 2002 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

The Last DJ is the 11th studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The title track, "Money Becomes King", "Joe" and "Can't Stop the Sun" are all critical of greed in the music industry, which led to a song boycott by some radio stations.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Tom Petty album) 1993 greatest hits album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1993. It is Petty's best-selling album to date and was certified 12× Platinum by the RIAA on April 28, 2015. The single "Mary Jane's Last Dance" became one of Petty's most popular songs, reaching No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The other new song on the album is a cover of the Thunderclap Newman hit "Something in the Air". The album contains no songs from 1987's Let Me Up . However, three songs from Petty's 1989 solo album Full Moon Fever were included.

<i>Songs and Music from "Shes the One"</i> 1996 soundtrack album / studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Songs and Music from the Motion Picture "She's the One" is the ninth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, first released in August 1996. The album served as the soundtrack for the 1996 film She's the One, written and directed by Edward Burns. The album was reissued in 2021 as Angel Dream.

Mainstream Rock is a music chart in Billboard magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in March 1981 as Rock Albums & Top Tracks, after which the name changed first to Top Rock Tracks, then to Album Rock Tracks, and finally to its current Mainstream Rock in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Jane's Last Dance</span> 1993 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Mary Jane's Last Dance" is a song written by Tom Petty and recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was recorded while Petty was recording his Wildflowers album and was produced by Rick Rubin, guitarist Mike Campbell, and Petty. The sessions would prove to be the last to include drummer Stan Lynch before his eventual departure in 1994. This song was first released as part of the Greatest Hits album in 1993. It rose to No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Petty's first Billboard top-20 hit of the 1990s, and also topped the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for two weeks. Internationally, the song reached No. 2 in Portugal and No. 5 in Canada.

<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">Learning to Fly (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)</span> 1991 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Learning to Fly" is a song by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was written in 1991 by Tom Petty and his writing partner Jeff Lynne for the band's eighth studio album, Into the Great Wide Open (1991). The entire song is based on four simple chords,. Released in June 1991 by MCA, it became a top hit for Petty and the Heartbreakers, topping the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Don't Know How It Feels</span> 1994 single by Tom Petty

"You Don't Know How It Feels" is a song and the lead single from American musician Tom Petty's 1994 album, Wildflowers. The track features candid lyrics describing the songwriter's desire for personal and professional autonomy. The single reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, No. 3 on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, and No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Petty's last top-40 hit in the US. An alternate version was posthumously released on June 26, 2020. This version peaked at No. 54 on the iTunes chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disco Inferno</span> 1976 single by the Trammps

"Disco Inferno" is a song by American disco band the Trammps from their fourth studio album of the same name (1976). With two other cuts by the group, it reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in early 1977, but had limited mainstream success until 1978, after being included on the soundtrack to the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, when a re-release hit number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runnin' Down a Dream</span> 1989 single by Tom Petty

"Runnin' Down a Dream" is a song co-written and recorded by Tom Petty. It was released in July 1989 as the second single from his first solo album Full Moon Fever. "Runnin' Down a Dream" achieved reasonable chart success, reaching number 23 both in Canada and on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the top of the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It has since garnered significant airplay on classic rock stations, and lent its name to the 2007 documentary on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Petty discography</span>

This is the discography of Tom Petty, who was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Petty released 13 studio albums as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, three with supergroup the Traveling Wilburys and two with his previous band Mudcrutch, in addition to three solo albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walls (Circus)</span> Original song written and composed by Tom Petty; from the 1996 film "Shes the One"

"Walls (Circus)" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Tom Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in July 1996 as the first single from their soundtrack album Songs and Music from "She's the One". The song features Lindsey Buckingham on background vocals and was recorded at Sound City Studios by engineer Sylvia Massy. The song peaked at number 69 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. An alternate arrangement of the song, played at a faster tempo, was included on the soundtrack under the title "Walls (No. 3)". The song was later covered by Glen Campbell on his 2008 album Meet Glen Campbell and by the Lumineers on the first anniversary of Petty's death.

<i>Hypnotic Eye</i> 2014 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Hypnotic Eye is the thirteenth and final studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in the UK on July 28, 2014 and in the United States on July 29, by Reprise Records. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the only Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album ever to top the chart. Hypnotic Eye was nominated for the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. It was the Heartbreakers' final studio album before disbanding in 2017, following Petty's death in October of that year.

The music for the 2013 action-adventure video game Grand Theft Auto V, developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games, was composed by The Alchemist, Oh No and Tangerine Dream in collaboration with Woody Jackson. The game is the first entry in the Grand Theft Auto series to make use of an original score. In collaboration with each other, the musicians produced over twenty hours of music which scores the game's missions. Some of the works produced by the musicians throughout the game's development influenced some of the in-game missions and sparked inspiration for further score development. Grand Theft Auto V has an in-game radio that can tune into sixteen stations playing more than 441 tracks of licensed music, as well as two talk radio stations. The composers of the score wanted it to accompany the licensed music, as opposed to detract from it.

"Free Girl Now" is a song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It is the third track and the lead single from the band's album Echo. The single reached #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #3 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart. In Canada, the song peaked at number 1 on the RPM Rock Report in April 1999. The song later repeaked at number one on the RPM rock chart in May 1999.

"Wildflowers" is a popular song by Tom Petty and the opening track from the album of the same name. The song became quite popular in concerts, and though it was not released as a single, it charted at #16 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, at #11 on the Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales and at #3 on the Billboard Lyric Find. AllMusic describes it as having a simple but effective folk-based chord progression, with a sprightly, almost country-oriented rhythm.

<i>The Best of Everything</i> (album) 2019 greatest hits album by Tom Petty

The Best of Everything is a 2019 greatest hits album with recordings made by Tom Petty, with his backing band The Heartbreakers, as a solo artist, and with Mudcrutch. It was released on March 1.

<i>Grand Theft Auto VI</i> Upcoming video game

Grand Theft Auto VI is an upcoming action-adventure game in development by Rockstar Games. It is due to be the eighth main Grand Theft Auto game, following Grand Theft Auto V (2013), and the sixteenth entry overall. Set within the fictional open world state of Leonida—based on Florida—and its Miami-inspired Vice City, the story is expected to follow the criminal duo of Lucia and her male partner.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Love Is a Long Road by Tom Petty - Track Info". AllMusic.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Weingarten, Christopher R.; Dolan, Jon; Cummings, Corinne; Murray, Nick; Grow, Kory; Greene, Andy; Hermes, Will; Sheffield, Rob (November 28, 2020). "Tom Petty's 50 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone.
  3. ↑ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2001). All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music. Backbeat Books/All Media Guide. p. 304. ISBN   978-0-87930-627-4.
  4. ↑ "Tom Petty Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". musicvf.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  5. ↑ Rutherford, Kevin (October 3, 2017). "All of Tom Petty's Record 28 Mainstream Rock Songs Top 10s". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  6. ↑ Myers, Maddy (December 4, 2023). "Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer brings back a 1989 Tom Petty song". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  7. ↑ Dinsdale, Ryan (December 6, 2023). "GTA 6 Trailer Has Already Surpassed Grand Theft Auto 5's Reveal With More Than 100 Million Views". IGN . Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  8. ↑ Wolen, Joshua (December 6, 2023). "Spotify registers ridiculous increase in Tom Petty streams as GTA 6 trailer drives everyone dad rock mad". PC Gamer . Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Chart History: Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard . Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Chart History: Rock Digital Song Sales". Billboard . Retrieved December 13, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.