Tom Petty Highway Companion

Posted by Gordon on Aug 6th, 2006
2006
Aug 6

Recently purchased Tom Petty’s latest album Highway Companion. Not a whole lot specific to say about this album. It is a refreshing rejuvenated sound. Listening to the album gives me the feeling that Tom Petty has rediscovered something that has been missing in recent years. And this is what makes for the best moments on the album. A lot of comparisons have been made to Full Moon Fever. I think this is a fair comparison. The album is equally powerful in the mood and musical delivery. The best songs on the album are the ones with themes of travel and rediscovery. Big Weekend and Down South. The first is a simple ditty about meeting up some old friends and the freedom of travel.

There’s some friends that I know
living in this town
and I’ve come far to see them.
Gonna track em’ down.
They live in a brick house
painted white and brown.

…

I can work,
I can travel,
sleep anywhere,
cross every border
with nothing to declare.
You can look back babe,
but it’s best not to stare.

I need a big weekend.
Kick up the dust.
Yeah a big weekend.
If you don’t run, you rust.

By far my most favorite song on the album is Down South. A catchy song about going back down south and engaging a personal past. I don’t come from the south but this song paints a picture that carries a satisfying tinge of romanticism. And for no particular reason I can pinpoint, I really like the following verse:

create myself down south
impress all the women
pretend i’m samuel clemens
wear seersucker and white linens

The imagery is nice, and the idea of recreating oneself in the image of Mark Twain just has an uncanny appeal. The song celebrates southern style, culture and convention in just as powerful a way as Southern Accents, but this time around less reactionary and more introspective. There is a nostalgia here but also a realization of the way things have changed.

spanish moss down south
find the heroes of my childhood
who now can do me no good
carve their name dogwood

The album is definitely one of the strongest efforts by Tom Petty in years and worth a listen.