By Jeremy Hammond:
My cover of “Into the Great Wide Open” by Tom Petty. I play the main verse pretty much the way Petty does, as far as I can hear. I’ve re-arranged the chorus section a bit to try to closer mimic the multiple instrumental layers you hear on the album.
** EDITOR’S NOTE **
The title track to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1991 album of the same name, “Into the Great Wide Open” may not have topped the charts, but is an excellent song that deserves appreciation. Even though it fell a full sixty-four slots shy of its predecessor “Learning to Fly,” Petty did manage to produce an outstanding music video for this song. And it even starred a young Johnny Depp as Eddie Rebel with supporting roles by Chynna Phillips (of Wilson Phillips), and Matt LeBlanc (of Friends fame).
They truly don’t make music videos like this anymore, so if you haven’t seen it, you should really take the time to do so. Go ahead, that’s what YouTube is for, right?
What makes “Into the Great Wide Open” such an excellent candidate for an acoustic cover? Well, there’s the catchy, powerful acoustic strumming before the chorus, never mind the fact that this is certainly a song that comes across well when played with a minimal arrangement.
As per usual, Jeremy has demonstrated great taste and considerable ability in his performance of this Tom Petty classic. I had forgotten how much I love this song and this album, and I’ve already watched Jeremy’s video several times over the past few days, enjoying this stripped down rendition. On behalf of the Laptop Sessions, I thank Jeremy for yet another wonderful video. Here’s to many more in 2010!
Editor’s note: this post was originally published before December 2015; the exact original date is uncertain.