WCSX Classic Cuts : Free Fallin’
WCSX Classic Cuts
Tom Petty: “Free Fallin'”
The Hook: Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench begged to play on it, but it wasn’t to be.
Year: 1989
Album: Full Moon Fever
Writers: Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne
Stats: Topped Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart and peaked at number-seven on the Hot 100.
Background: Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench only played on one track on Tom Petty’s first solo album, Full Moon Fever, “The Apartment Song.” He talks about another cut that he just couldn’t beg his way onto.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench on a Tom Petty solo song he wishes he’d played on. OC:…holy cow. :28
“I went down just to say hi and he was recording the vocal for ‘Free Fallin”. I’d never heard the song before. I begged them, come on, let me play on this, let me play on this, let me play on this. And they didn’t hear anything from me on it. They were probably right, it did alright. But I was like, you walk into Mike Campbell’s garage in Woodland Hills and Tom starts singing ‘Free Fallin’ and you’ve never heard the song before. It’s a treat. It’s a treat. It’s like: holy cow.”
