Bit of trivia … That song was first offered to Stevie Nicks. I think she would also have done a great job of it. I’ve always loved her voice but thought her songwriting as insipid.
This is the worst day of my life. Tom Petty was never more than mildly anodyne background noise, but it was the noise I grew up to. I am absolutely devastated.
Last I saw, he was still clinging to life, but it doesn’t sound good at all. Sad. I love his music.
Raucous Indignationsays
Charlie T. Jr has passed on to join Nelson and Lefty.
DonDueedsays
I’m bummed. I saw his show in Boston not two months ago. I’ve admired his work for a long time now, and finally got to see him (and the great Heartbreakers) live. I was hoping to do so again, but alas..
isochronsays
Sorry he is (or may isn’t?) dead but that is a terrible song and an awful video.
Raucous Indignationsays
@8 isochron He is.
Ed Seedhousesays
I thought the song was O.K. and the video with it’s takeoff on Alice in Wonderland was actually quite amusing.
What a Maroon, living up to the 'nymsays
isochron,
Try this. And if you don’t like it, try shutting the fuck up.
Matrimsays
They’ve retracted the announcement of his death. No one can currently confirm whether or not he’s alive or dead. However, even if he’s alive, he’s probably not going fully recover, no one knows how long he was without oxygen.
robrosays
The young woman playing Alice is Wish Foley. She did an interview in 2013, by that time an adult with children and an HR career, instead of starving actor. She was paid $2,500 for the work and Petty gave her the glasses he wears. (I appeared in three music videos and sequences of a feature length documentary as a comic strip character, and was paid exactly $0 for my trouble. As they say, there’s no business in show business.)
The video was controversial for 1985, partly because of drugs. Geez, look at us today. More importantly, some people objected to the violence against women theme, particularly the cake eating sequence.
I have always liked the song. I remember the video when it first came out, and didn’t care for it… seemed tangential to the lyrics. I believe it was fairly typical at that time that performers had little artistic control over those things…maybe it’s still true.
Oddity: There’s a scene that shows her running up a curved wall. That’s the studio’s cove wall. Somewhat unusual to show that because they’re supposed to be invisible, creating the illusion of infinity. I helped build a couple of those in my scenery construction days.
robrosays
Recent report: According to this, He has been taken off life support. There is no brain activity.
ajbjasussays
Anodyne – no – well crafted, understated pop songs are a work of art – Petty could rock too. They had a saying in the Heartbreakers, if anything was getting a bit pretentious – “Don’t Bore us, get to the chorus”. I saw him many times and he was always great.
How many people remember that the Heartbreakers were Dylan’s backing band for a time ?
PZ’s choice of video is one of my least favourites though, and very atypical. I think it was produced by Dave Eurythmic Stewatr.
The only Tom Petty tune that I really like is “Girl on LSD”. Which is ironic: when he worked hard to craft pop hits he just didn’t didn’t move me, but when he chilled out and just tossed off a novelty tune he was sublimely great. Go figure.
slithey tove (twas brillig (stevem))says
“Free fallIng”
Rats, confirmed, he passed late last night after news reported he was barely surviving despite conflicting reports. 😭
A horribly shitty couple of days just got a bit shittier.
Damn.
Bit of trivia … That song was first offered to Stevie Nicks. I think she would also have done a great job of it. I’ve always loved her voice but thought her songwriting as insipid.
Conflicting reports about whether he is dead or not.
This is the worst day of my life. Tom Petty was never more than mildly anodyne background noise, but it was the noise I grew up to. I am absolutely devastated.
Last I saw, he was still clinging to life, but it doesn’t sound good at all. Sad. I love his music.
Charlie T. Jr has passed on to join Nelson and Lefty.
I’m bummed. I saw his show in Boston not two months ago. I’ve admired his work for a long time now, and finally got to see him (and the great Heartbreakers) live. I was hoping to do so again, but alas..
Sorry he is (or may isn’t?) dead but that is a terrible song and an awful video.
@8 isochron He is.
I thought the song was O.K. and the video with it’s takeoff on Alice in Wonderland was actually quite amusing.
isochron,
Try this. And if you don’t like it, try shutting the fuck up.
They’ve retracted the announcement of his death. No one can currently confirm whether or not he’s alive or dead. However, even if he’s alive, he’s probably not going fully recover, no one knows how long he was without oxygen.
The young woman playing Alice is Wish Foley. She did an interview in 2013, by that time an adult with children and an HR career, instead of starving actor. She was paid $2,500 for the work and Petty gave her the glasses he wears. (I appeared in three music videos and sequences of a feature length documentary as a comic strip character, and was paid exactly $0 for my trouble. As they say, there’s no business in show business.)
The video was controversial for 1985, partly because of drugs. Geez, look at us today. More importantly, some people objected to the violence against women theme, particularly the cake eating sequence.
I have always liked the song. I remember the video when it first came out, and didn’t care for it… seemed tangential to the lyrics. I believe it was fairly typical at that time that performers had little artistic control over those things…maybe it’s still true.
Oddity: There’s a scene that shows her running up a curved wall. That’s the studio’s cove wall. Somewhat unusual to show that because they’re supposed to be invisible, creating the illusion of infinity. I helped build a couple of those in my scenery construction days.
Recent report: According to this, He has been taken off life support. There is no brain activity.
Anodyne – no – well crafted, understated pop songs are a work of art – Petty could rock too. They had a saying in the Heartbreakers, if anything was getting a bit pretentious – “Don’t Bore us, get to the chorus”. I saw him many times and he was always great.
How many people remember that the Heartbreakers were Dylan’s backing band for a time ?
PZ’s choice of video is one of my least favourites though, and very atypical. I think it was produced by Dave Eurythmic Stewatr.
Damn
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/tom-petty-dead-66-stories-famous-songs/story?id=50240628
According to ABC he has died.
The only Tom Petty tune that I really like is “Girl on LSD”. Which is ironic: when he worked hard to craft pop hits he just didn’t didn’t move me, but when he chilled out and just tossed off a novelty tune he was sublimely great. Go figure.
“Free fallIng”
Rats, confirmed, he passed late last night after news reported he was barely surviving despite conflicting reports. 😭