Attack of the Killer Track! is a series that explores tracks from artists from a variety of genres. Some of the tracks were singles, some of them were obscure b-sides or long forgotten album tracks. One thing is certain – all of them are killer tracks.
A year ago I was in disbelief as the news about Tom Petty made the rounds. Seemingly invincible, he was on his deathbed – in fact, his death was prematurely announced and quickly retracted. The inevitable was upon us – a musical icon taken much too soon. In the aftermath of his departure I indulged in the works of Tom Petty like I never had before. His biography was enlightening and had me obsessively listening to his 1994 solo album, Wildflowers. The entire Rick Rubin produced album is incredible, but To Find a Friend spoke to me in a way that it never had before. Now I had the back story of Tom’s personal life changing rapidly around the time it was cut. The opening lines are autobiographical somewhat. “In the middle of his life / He left his wife / And ran off to be bad / Boy, it was sad”. It is about as direct as can be. Musically, this a breezy, Beatles by way of the American South tune. It is perfection. It is my absolute favorite Tom Petty song. A year gone today. “And the days went by like paper in the wind / Everything changed, then changed again / It’s hard to find a friend”.
https://youtu.be/f3REYck1f8M