Counting on You

04/09/25 • 21 min

1 Listener

Sonically, you could definitely hear this one sitting happily on Mojo. But I also sometimes feel that this is the most Wildflowers-sounding of all the songs on Echo. If you found out that it was another of the songs that hadn’t been included on that album, it wouldn’t really surprise you. In Conversations With Tom Petty, the only thing that Tom tells author Paul Zollo about this song is that “That’s great. That should have been a single. I don’t know why they didn’t put that out as a single”.

If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/eA7YT103Ocw

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

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All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.

A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producer: Paul Roberts

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/eA7YT103Ocw

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producer: Paul Roberts

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Room at the Top

1 Recommendations

I, along with I’m sure many of you Pettyheads, consider this one of Tom’s finest works. It’s an absolute masterpiece in songwriting, lyrical precision, and arrangement. As Tom tells Paul Zollo, “It was a great example of The Heartbreakers at work. On my own I would have never arrived at that arrangement of the song. But they really took it somewhere that I would have never got to by myself.” The mixture of light and shade the contrast of hope and despondency, of cynicism and vulnerability make this track a powerhouse of pure emotion. It’s one of those where every single note is placed to perfection, every musical decision supports the construction and delivery of the song and the sum of its incredible parts gels into this perfect five minutes of music that moves me as much today as it did the first time I listened to it!

If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/nQFCF9KESic

And make sure you check out Richard Hearn's brilliant website Paragraph Planet here: https://www.paragraphplanet.com

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producer: Paul Roberts

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Free Girl Now

1 Recommendations

The song is a powerful push back against an abusive relationship on behalf of the woman Tom loved. The way the lyrics are organized, with the verses describing the abuse in the past tense and the uplifting chorus being in the present tense really drives home that idea that “No longer will you be a slave. No longer will you have to crawl”. It’s a celebration of liberation and freedom that is specific to a personal situation but again has that anthemic universality that would make a stadium full of people who might not know its origins sing along in full-throated support!

If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here : https://youtu.be/vxfQun7sfok

And if you want to hear the live version from the Fillmore in '99, you can find that here : https://youtu.be/1p7e5MgqkcI

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producer: Paul Roberts

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.