The 1985 song Tom Petty wanted to delete from history: “It’s just trash”
Tom Petty took immense pride in the majority of his music, largely due to his unwavering trust in his gut instincts. While he may have made the occasional misstep with a track or two, these were minor in comparison to the larger, more significant matters that occupied his thoughts, and they certainly didn’t keep him up at night.
That being said, there were bound to be a few dark moments in a career as illustrious and illuminating as Petty’s. His body of work includes many of America’s most beloved songs, and Petty consistently delivered a remarkably high standard of work.
Even during periods of personal turmoil, Petty could use his hardship as a songwriting tool. Although his 1994 solo album, Wildflowers, is revered among his best work, it was made during a chaotic period as he dealt with his divorce. Furthermore, unbeknownst to people at the time, Petty was also going through drug problems, which he later revealed in 1997 upon getting clean.
Although Petty could ride the roughest of waters and not allow the quality of his work to be compromised, he didn’t have a 100 per cent hit rate. Like everyone else, there are some moments from his discography he ended up regretting were there, including one track from the 1980s he described as “trash”.
The late, great talent was one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century and beyond. His lyrical skills and expert ear for a tune helped make him one of the most revered acts in rock history. He was the artist responsible for crafting beloved hits such as ‘Free Fallin”, ‘I Won’t Back Down’, ‘American Girl’, and ‘Learning to Fly‘. However, one song that doesn’t stand up compared to those aforementioned creations is ‘Make It Better (Forget About Me)’. Not only does it pale in comparison to the riches of his discography, but Petty even felt remorseful about writing it.
The song in question was featured in Southern Accents, an album that rarely reaches Petty’s high standard. Even the tour artwork was a regrettable memory for Petty, who stood in front of a confederate flag as he sang his songs during that particular tour. The battle flag, originally used in the 19th century for the Southern Confederate party during the American Civil War, has since become a symbol associated with white supremacists and Southern patriot activism.
After Dylann Roof murdered nine African-American churchgoers in 2015, Petty told Rolling Stone that he wished he’d never used the hate symbol. “I wish I had given it more thought,” he said. “It was a downright stupid thing to do.”
“The Confederate flag was the wallpaper of the South when I was a kid growing up,” Petty added, offering an explanation for his use of the flag. “I always knew it had to do with the Civil War, but the South had adopted it as its logo. I was pretty ignorant of what it actually meant. It was on a flagpole in front of the courthouse, and I often saw it in Western movies. I just honestly didn’t give it much thought, though I should have.”
Southern Accents is a concept album about the South of America that Petty expertly used as a vehicle for his storytelling and to express his love for the people of the region. While the LP does struggle to contain the three songs Petty wrote with the Eurythmics within the concept, the rest of the record has a welcomed gentle hum that is both warm and glowing.
Particularly brilliant visions of the South come from ‘Rebels’ and ‘Spike’, while Petty uses his often overlooked lyrical jousting to cleverly deliver a message praising those American states that inspired the record. Although the South is frequently derided in the media, Petty defied the stereotypes that exist on Southern Accents. Nevertheless, ‘Make It Better (Forget About Me)’ ranks as the singular worst moment on the record.
“I hate that song; it’s just trash,” Petty once said, according to the 2020 book Conversations With Tom Petty. “It was Dave just trying to get me to knock a song out. Just write a song for the sake of writing one. And I think that’s what it sounds like to me.”
If ‘Make It Better (Forget About Me)’ were removed from Southern Accents, the record would undoubtedly be improved. However, despite his negative feelings towards the track, the sentiment that sparked the album remains vital.
That contradiction is part of what makes Petty such a compelling figure. Even when he misfired, those moments were usually the byproduct of pushing himself creatively or working under pressure, rather than a lack of ability. In the case of ‘Make It Better (Forget About Me)’, his frustration seems rooted in the sense that it lacked the authenticity and emotional weight that defined his strongest work, something he clearly valued above all else as a songwriter.
It also underlines just how high Petty’s own standards were. For an artist with a catalogue as rich and consistent as his, a track he deemed “trash” still sits within an album that many fans hold in high regard. If anything, his criticism of the song reinforces the integrity behind Southern Accents as a whole. It is an album driven by genuine reflection, even if not every piece within it met the mark in his own eyes.
