So why is Tom Petty’s Wildflowers on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Very few albums can consistently conjure a certain mood, a certain feeling, a certain vibe from start to finish like Wildflowers does. It represents everything Tom Petty brings at the very peak of his powers: the singer-songwriter, the approachable and yet enigmatic rock star, the exceptional song craftsman, and that earnest voice with just a hint of country twang.
And then there’s a mix of traditions that filter through the album magically, ranging from ‘60s hippie rock and pop influences to country and blues to ‘70s guitar rock. For example, “Only A Broken Heart” is delicate and wonderful, with a strong Beatles-y/George Harrison vibe that is so effective.
But Wildflowers is also that relatively rare album where I always want to start from the first track, and it’s easy for me to understand why when you look at tracks one through five: they are all wildly (flowers-y) good.
- “Wildflowers”
- “You Don’t Know How It Feels”
- “Time To Move On”
- “You Wreck Me”
- “It’s Good To Be King”
Unlike many albums, I have a really hard time deciding what my favorite song on Wildflowers is. While writing this piece, I landed on “You Wreck Me” in answer to that question, partially because it’s such a great, mid-tempo rocking destination to arrive at after the beautiful and emotional journey over the previous three songs.
“You Don’t Know How It Feels” was the hit song off of Wildflowers back in 1994 if memory serves, though “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” a single that was released as part of a Tom Petty greatest hits album, was an even bigger one.
That’s a song, as aside, that I’m not always in the mood for but when I am, it hits just right.
Pop culture stuff that has something to do with Tom Petty’s Wildflowers
One other Tom Petty-related memory from that era. I watched the Saturday Night Live broadcast that Tom Petty was the musical guest on in 1994, and vividly recall seeing Dave Grohl perform with the band on drums on the bluesy rocker “Honeybee” and “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.”
It was the first time that I had seen Grohl on television or heard anything about him since Kurt Cobain took his own life, and in so doing ended Nirvana as an active musical outfit. According to this piece, “it was the first time [Grohl] felt excited about playing drums since Nirvana ended.”
Some stats & info about Tom Petty – Wildflowers
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Album Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – #214
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was Wildflowers released? 1994
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #191 out of 1,000
Tom Petty’s Wildflowers on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Tom Petty’s Wildflowers that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
So let’s get to the point, let’s roll another joint, and let’s head on down the road.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.