Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers formed in 1976 and achieved success with their 1979 album Damn the Torpedoes, which included hits like Don't Do Me Like That and Here Comes My Girl. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and celebrated their 40th anniversary with a nationwide tour in 2017.
About the Song: Learning to Fly was released in 1991 and became one of the band’s longest-running hit singles. The song spent six weeks in the #1 spot on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Petty co-wrote the tune with Jeff Lynne, the frontman for Electric Light Orchestra and Petty’s Traveling Wilburys bandmate.
About the Song: Walls is a Tom Petty fan favorite. Its quiet, hopeful sound is a peaceful departure from many of the Heartbreakers’ up-tempo tracks. The song also marked a difficult period in Petty’s life: the songwriter was in the midst of a divorce from his first wife, Jane.
About the Song: Mary Jane’s Last Dance is one of the Heartbreakers’ best-known songs. Although Petty never disclosed the song’s intended meaning, there are a couple of fan theories. Some speculate that Mary Jane refers to the songwriter’s first wife, while others suggest the name is a drug reference.