"Love Is a Long Road" is a song by Tom Petty from his 1989 first solo album Full Moon Fever. Although only released as the B-side to "Free Fallin'" in the UK, and not released as a stand-alone single, it received a fair amount of radio airplay. In the U.S., it peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.[4][5]
| "Love Is a Long Road" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Tom Petty | |
| from the album Full Moon Fever | |
| A-side | "Free Fallin'" (UK) |
| Released | 1989 |
| Recorded | 1987–1988 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:07 |
| Label | MCA |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
Background
editThe rock song was co-written by guitarist Mike Campbell, who was inspired by a motorcycle he owned. The musician told "I was really into that frame of mind. This feels like a motorcycle shifting gears."[2] "Love Is a Long Road" appears on the 2000 double-disc compilation album Anthology: Through the Years, as well as on the 1995 box set Playback.[1]
Critical reception
editAnother one of Petty's late-1980s songs which looks back at a fractured romance, AllMusic describes the song as sounding like a stripped-down version of the Who's classics "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", and one of the most powerful rockers on the album.[1][2] Rolling Stone ranked the song at No. 38 in a list of Petty's 50 greatest songs.[2]
Media usage
editIn 2023, the song was used in the first trailer for the video game Grand Theft Auto VI.[6] It led to a 36,979% increase in streams on Spotify, skyrocketing from less than 5 million to nearly 40 million streams within a span of a few months.[7][8]
Charts
edit| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[9] | 7 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Rock Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[10] | 7 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Love Is a Long Road by Tom Petty - Track Info". AllMusic.
- ^ a b c d Weingarten, Christopher R.; Dolan, Jon; Cummings, Corinne; Murray, Nick; Grow, Kory; Greene, Andy; Hermes, Will; Sheffield, Rob (November 28, 2020). "Tom Petty's 50 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2001). All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music. Backbeat Books/All Media Guide. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-87930-627-4.
- ^ "Tom Petty Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". musicvf.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Rutherford, Kevin (October 3, 2017). "All of Tom Petty's Record 28 Mainstream Rock Songs Top 10s". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Myers, Maddy (December 4, 2023). "Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer brings back a 1989 Tom Petty song". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (December 6, 2023). "GTA 6 Trailer Has Already Surpassed Grand Theft Auto 5's Reveal With More Than 100 Million Views". IGN. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ Wolen, Joshua (December 6, 2023). "Spotify registers ridiculous increase in Tom Petty streams as GTA 6 trailer drives everyone dad rock mad". PC Gamer. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Chart History: Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Chart History: Rock Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2023.