Wildflowers (Tom Petty song)

"Wildflowers"
Single by Tom Petty
from the album Wildflowers
Released1994 (1994)
August 2020 (home recording)
Recorded1994
GenreFolk rock[1]
Length3:10
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Tom Petty
Producer(s)Rick Rubin
Tom Petty singles chronology
"You Don't Know How It Feels (Home Recording)"
(2020) 		"Wildflowers"
(2020) 		"Leave Virginia Alone"
(2020)

"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,[2] at #11 on the Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales[3] and at #3 on the Billboard Lyric Find.[4] AllMusic describes it as having a simple but effective folk-based chord progression, with a sprightly, almost country-oriented rhythm.[5][6]

The song has gone on to become one of the most beloved in Petty's catalog. Petty also stated "Wildflowers" was easy to write and compose.[7] It was one of the non-singles which were included on the compilation The Best of Everything (others were "Southern Accents", "Square One", "Angel Dream" and "Dreamville").[8]

On August 20, 2020, a posthumous release of the home recorded demo version of the song was released as a digital single alongside a music video. The video contains never-before-seen footage shot by Martyn Atkins during the recording of "Wildflowers".[9] On the same day, it was officially announced that on October 16, a posthumous album titled Wildflowers & All the Rest would be released. It is a comprehensive re-release of "Wildflowers" including the home version (released as a single in August) along with the album Wildflowers and many unearthed gems and demos/home recordings.[10]

The title of the November 2020 book Somewhere You Feel Free: Tom Petty and Los Angeles comes from a lyric in the song.[11]

"Wildflowers" is also Tom Petty's fourth most streamed solo song (and seventh overall) on Spotify, even surpassing the same album's big hit "You Don't Know How it Feels".[12]

  1. ^ "You Wreck Me - Tom Petty, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ^ "Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Chart History". Billboard.
  3. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers". Billboard.
  4. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers". Billboard.
  5. ^ "Wildflowers - Tom Petty | Song Info". AllMusic.
  6. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tour Statistics | setlist.fm". setlist.fm.
  7. ^ Kelly, Sean. "Tom Petty's 'Wildflowers' Turns 25: The Stories Behind the Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  8. ^ "The Best of Everything: The Definitive Career-Spanning Hits Collection 1976-2016 - Tom Petty, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  9. ^ "Tom Petty - Wildflowers (Home Recording) [Official Music Video]". August 20, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Tom Petty's Long-Awaited Wildflowers Comprehensive Collection To Be Released". TomPetty.com. August 20, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  11. ^ "Exclusive: Interview With Author of New Tom Petty Book". Best Classic Bands. 17 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Tom Petty". Spotify.