I once slept in Tom Petty's bed, but more on that in a minute.
I don't know about you, but I love a good road trip — hitting the highway armed with your favorite snacks and an awesome playlist is the best. I'm actually supposed to be on a little pre-summer road trip myself this week, and I was really looking froward to it — most of my travels have been international over the last couple of years, so it's been a while — but I had to cancel at the last minute for the dumbest of reasons. Thankfully, I was able to move my plans up a few months, so the trip isn't a total lost cause, but in the meantime, I'm stuck here at home. Which is fine — my garden needed me anyway.
My own love for the road trip stems from my childhood. Every summer, just as school was letting out, my grandparents would rent a place in Florida, and my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and I would load up our cars and make the trip down. My mom would always make sure I had plenty of fun things to do, and we'd always take breaks at restaurants I didn't get to eat at regularly. Stopping at rest stops and visitor centers filled with brochures about our destination excited me in ways I can't describe, and I always knew we were close to the Florida state line when we saw palm trees mixed in with the Georgia pines. It was thrilling when I was a child, and it didn't lose its magic when I grew up and started branching out and planning my own trips to various destinations.
Up until my grandfather's death a few years ago, we continued the Florida trips from my childhood. The logistics changed a bit over the years. For the last few, we rented one big house on the beach, and whoever wanted to come could do so. It was the biggest house my aunt could find in the area we liked, though I'll admit, it was a bit unique. The decor was outdated and quirky but comfortable. There were autographed pictures of celebrities like Lucille Ball, Elvis, and the Beatles throughout. At one point, there was tacky blue carpet on the boardwalk that led to the beach, and there was a mirror ball hanging in the living room.
One day, while we were there, something broke by the pool, and the rental company was sending someone over to fix it. Someone had to stick around and wait for him, so I planted myself on a float in the pool. Before long, the maintenance guy — who reminded me of one of the sun-hardened characters Jimmy Buffett sings about — showed up. He obviously wanted to chat, so I tried to make polite conversation even though I didn't want to.
"How long has this place been here?" I asked, absent-mindedly.
"Well, let's see. Tom Petty and Jane got married in this year and they got divorced in that year..." he began.
I was barely listening to him, and it took him saying "Tom Petty" three times for it to finally hit me.
Was he talking about the Tom Petty?
I have to stop here and say that Mr. Petty is, without a doubt, my all-time favorite musical artist. My love for his music is deeper than I can put into words here without writing a novella, and you better bet when I put together a road trip playlist, Tom — I really feel like I can call him that — is front and center. I never understood the phrase, "Such and such musician wrote the soundtrack to my life," until I started listening to Petty's music beyond his hits. The man speaks to my soul and writes lyrics that I feel like I could have written myself if I were that talented. His music doesn't just inspire me in life; it takes me on a journey.
I wanted to play it cool, so instead of asking the maintenance guy if he was talking about the Tom Petty — my Tom Petty — I grabbed my phone and did some research. Sure enough, I was there in Tom Petty's house, floating in Tom Petty's pool, eating with Tom Petty's forks, watching Tom Petty's TV, bathing in Tom Petty's shower, and sleeping in Tom Petty's bed.
I'm pretty sure I annoyed my family talking like that for the rest of the trip, but it was all I could think about. I wonder if he wrote any songs here? Which ones? Did the likes of Stevie Nicks or Bob Dylan ever visit? I could go on...
Not too long ago, Tom Petty's ex-wife, Jane, sold the house, and the people who bought it updated it. I actually learned today that it's on the market again, if any of you have an extra $3.245 million lying around and want a nice Florida beach house.
And if sleeping in Tom Petty's old beach house isn't in the cards for you, I highly recommend at least adding some of his music to your playlist for your next road trip. Here are some of my favorites (I'll try not to get too deep):
1. Runnin' Down A Dream
I wouldn't say this is one of my favorites, but I can't go for a drive without it. I mean, the lyrics literally start, "It was a beautiful day. The sun beat down. I had the radio on. I was drivin.'" How could you go wrong?
2. Down South
As a Southerner myself, I fully embrace Petty's Southernness, and as a writer, his lyrics about the South just land right in my heart. This particular song has inspired me to write so much fiction, and it makes me feel like I'm driving around with Tom doing all the things he lists.
3. American Girl
This song just puts me in a good mood when I'm driving, and some of it was inspired by Petty's own cross-country road trip to California when he was a young musician chasing his dreams. Some people believe it's actually kind of dark, but I've heard Petty himself say he never meant it that way.
4. Time to Move On
"It's time to move on. It's time to get going. What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing, but under my feet, baby, grass is growing. It's time to move on, time to get going." This one has been something of a theme song for me in recent years, and I have a feeling there are many more of you out there who have kind of been at a crossroads in life and can relate to the lyrics. It's great for driving and thinking.
5. Wildflowers
"You belong among the wildflowers... You belong somewhere you feel free." What better lyrics to listen to when you hit the road?
6. It'll All Work Out
This song is a bit melancholy, but it also makes me feel a bit hopeful. Your mileage may vary. But it's another driving and thinking song.
7. Southern Accents
Like "Down South," this song makes me feel like I'm driving around the South with Tom. (Fun fact: Johnny Cash does a cool version of this one, too.)
8. Melinda
For me, this one is more about the music than the lyrics. With apologies to Tom, Benmont Tench's piano solo absolutely steals the show.
9. Mary Jane's Last Dance
Full disclosure: This song was my main introduction to Tom Petty. It came out back in the mid-'90s when I was just a little thing learning what MTV was. Back when the network actually played music videos, it played this one constantly. I fell in love with it, and the rest, as they say, is history. I wouldn't say it's my favorite these days, but there is something about driving around with the windows down, shouting "Oh my my, oh hell yes" at the top of your lungs.
10. I Won't Back Down
From politicians to football programs, I feel like everyone and their brother has kind of hijacked this song as a bit of an anthem for the underdog. I can include myself in that. Last fall, I found myself at a professional crossroads of sorts. I'd been backed into a terrible position at an old job, and I was having a hard time making a decision on whether I should stick it out and let people walk all over me or take a huge risk and move on.
Call me crazy, but I was in a store one day in the midst of it, and when I got into the car, "I Won't Back Down" was playing. As I listened to it on my drive home, I made the decision to walk away from my toxic security blanket job. That's actually kind of how I ended up here, so you have Tom Petty to thank (or blame).
11. Rebels
This song is probably controversial. "I was born a rebel down in Dixie," Tom sings. Later, he says, "Even before my father's father. They called us all rebels as they burned our cornfields and left our cities leveled. I can still feel the eyes of those blue-bellied devils. Yeah, when I'm walking round at night through the concrete and metal..." But even if you don't care for the lyrics, it's a good song that just puts you in a good mood, and it's great for a drive. (Fun fact: Despite its overt Southernness, this song was actually introduced to me by someone from Staten Island, New York, who adores it.)
12. Something Good Coming
Despite the positive title, this song can reduce me to tears like no other. It's another one of those driving and thinking songs for when you're in that kind of mood. Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, whom I also adore, covers this well, too. There are some YouTube videos of Campbell singing it just after Tom died, and they're so emotional — a real punch in the gut.
13. The Stories We Could Tell
This song is so much fun. It's about being on the road as traveling musicians, and perfect for a road trip. I think Jimmy Buffett also does a nice cover.
14. Learning to Fly
I don't know if I have a favorite Tom Petty song, but "Learning to Fly" is definitely in my top three. There's a lot of deep personal meaning for me there in the lyrics, and I'll leave it at that, but it's great for driving, too, especially if you have a live version where the crowd is singing along to the chorus at the top of their lungs. This version here is actually my favorite:
15. Spike
I don't have much to say about this one. After Bob Dylan, Petty is, to me, the best storyteller in music, and even though this song is fun and silly, it's based on a true story, and it just kind of takes you back to 1970-something Gainesville, Florida, as if you were there with Tom and his friends. Then again, I feel like when I listen to most of Tom's songs, I'm transported to the time and place he sings about, and that's part of what makes him so great.
