“I loved doing that”: The 1996 song Tom Petty called the “greatest compliment”
Everything that Tom Petty did was meant to satisfy him before anyone else.
He was never trying to make a song, thinking about what the critics would say or how the Heartbreakers would react to it, and even if some of his tunes didn’t always work, he wasn’t going to switch up his style to blend in with the times by any stretch. He could only be himself whenever he picked up a guitar, and as long as he kept making music that he could identify with, the legends of rock would end up coming to him.
Because when you look at all the friends Petty accumulated over his lifetime, he was never seeking them out by any stretch. Everyone from George Harrison to Roger McGuinn saw something in that little kid from Gainesville, and even if he was a bit on the young side, he was already wise beyond his years. He wasn’t going to bullshit anyone when he made music, and that’s half the reason why he was such a welcome addition to the Traveling Wilburys when they first formed.
Harrison was interested in filling up the band with his best friends, and considering where Petty would be going next, the whole thing was practically a learning curve for his greatest work. Full Moon Fever got more than its fair share of attention thanks to Harrison starring in the video for ‘I Won’t Back Down’, and while the former Beatle could call Petty out when he was making a throwaway lyric every now and then, the strength of an album like Wildflowers is what turned Johnny Cash’s head when he made his major comeback.
Rick Rubin had already helped ‘The Man in Black’ turn into one of the biggest artists in the world all over again, but getting The Heartbreakers on the album Unchained was one of the most inspired choices he could have made. Everyone in the band lived and breathed country music, so having them do their own versions of tunes like ‘Sea of Heartbreak’ and reinterpreting Soundgarden’s ‘Rusty Cage’ was a no-brainer.
But hearing Cash approach one of Petty’s tunes had to have been a little bit funny. Cash was the kind of musician who feels like more of a living historical monument than an actual human being, and the idea of him doing his own version of tunes like ‘I Won’t Back Down’ was enough for Petty to disown the track. He knew Cash had done the superior version of the tune, but hearing that hardened voice take on a song as perfect as ‘Southern Accents’ was the best validation Petty ever needed.
Petty had already tried to paint a picture of his home down South, but Cash’s compliment towards him made him feel like he never needed a pep talk ever again, saying, “The greatest compliment I ever got is, he told me, ‘That should replace ‘Dixie.’’ And I went, ‘Wow’’ [laughs]. He said, ‘No, I mean it, it’s a better song than ‘Dixie.’’’ I would agree with most things John says. I loved doing that record with him.”
The heartland rocker wouldn’t be one to toot his own horn like that, but he did see the tune as one of his greatest pieces ever written. The song didn’t have to be doing much to have an effect on people, but with only a few chords, he painted a perfect picture of what it was like growing up in the South, whether it was the hardship of people living off the land or having his own way of praying that’s a lot different from what everyone else does.
He knew that he was different, but part of the beauty of most of Petty’s work is the same thing that most people were attracted to Cash for. They were both outsiders in their own ways, and their songs were those few moments where the veil came off, and everyone got to see them for who they really were.
