It was Jeff Lynn who came up with the words "free falling' and told Tom to sing it at a higher and louder pitch ... when Tom sung it that way they knew immediately they were on to something special. He also asked Tom to do away with one of the original chords and strip it back ... absolute genius from 2 legends!!
Tom Petty has some of the most simple, but most kick ass rock songs ever. Just elegant little puzzle pieces put together that make me go, " Why didn't I think of that?!"
These guys are masters of simplicity. Tom Petty's starting point must have been "no more than 4 chords". Mike Campbell has a lot to do with the writing and making them sparkle.
One of the many great things about Rick's videos is that the comments are always positive, often moving, never unpleasant, with zero thumbs-down. Perhaps across all SM only Rick has achieved this.
Nice to see Jeff Lynne get a little love here. He’s a “musician’s musician”. It’s also nice to see that even many of his 1970s harshest critics come around the last several years to admit he’s a pop/rock genius.
I thought so right away, as soon as I heard his band flip "Roll Over, Beethoven." When you hear the end, you can hear what smart musicians learned from the Beatles. That production tricks - like Rick is trying to teach us - are the secrets of success as a musician.
Jeff Lynne is a musical genius! It's hard to believe that the background vocals are just Tom and Jeff. Jeff also played the bass, keyboards and did all the arrangements and mixing on this track.
A visionary too. I bought Elo's album Time back in the day. Was 1980 i believe. The entire album is not only great songs, but it is all on a theme. Its stories in the future. And he was saying things in the lyrics that nobody could foresee at the time. I felt it all, but didnt know where to place it. And i felt he was right, but couldnt explain why. As the decades went by, it became horribly true.
Just shed a tear at the breakdown when he sings “I’m gonna free fall out into nothing, gonna leave this world for a while.” Such memories of this song, album, and video when I was young. It’s amazing how music has such indelible impact on you emotionally for lots of reasons. Tom Petty was a great artist who left us way too early.
My uncle was mates with Mike Campbell, he got us VIP passes to a Tom Petty gig at Wembley Arena in the UK back in 1987. We left the gig with the band and I spent the evening with Mike and his family back at his hotel room. Such a cool guy.
Yes!! Completing the chord by singing the A (7th) against the Bbsus2 is EXACTLY what makes this song great. Spot on! Then the sung lyrics of “I’m free..!” - which illicit “hope” - Yet there’s that foreshadowing heartache Bbsus2 chord and vocal A note, right before he sings “free fallin’!” - which lets you know the author isn’t hopeful and free at all. Just the perfect chord/sung melody/lyrics combination. Just incredible.
This is the best series on RUclips! Just when you think you've heard these songs so many times that they lose their shine a bit, Rick breaks them down and makes them sound new all over again.
Tom songs always created such rich textures. Simple chords but rich evolving, changing, swirling textures. Gawd I miss the guy. RIP Tom! One of the best song writers ever.
Really?......There are mic stands that toured with the Eagles with more talent. One of the greatest??? If you are gonna write simplistic songs....then a least have a stunning voice. Don't croon like a pubescent boy. All I hear is that time Peter Brady's voice changed when the Brady Bunch decided to have a family band. The Monkey's were better musicians. LOL
@@johncase3998 Always thought Tom sounded like Dylan. It's not about his voice, it's about the songs. If you want to debate if he was great song writer, I will just point to the number of songs that made the Billboard 100. You can still say what you want but money $$$ talks you know the rest. I stand by my original premise, he was one of the greatest songwriters ever. He used a lot of simple chords. It was his phrasing, dynamics and textures that make his song. I In 2002 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not too many Mic stands inducted. Not sure about the Monkeys. MHO, you can disagree but the Hall of Fame says otherwise. Peace, out.
Most of TPs songs could be played well by an average guitarist and vocalist. True of most popular music. Credit goes to production and marketing more than the lead musician. That has always been the trick. Make it simple and catchy but also stand out. OP here got it right, texture. Pettys credit for the texture is debatable though. John Case sounds like the myriad of very technically talented musicians who won't play music that most people enjoy, while sacrificing being able to shred the axe the whole way through.
@@hotjamsm07 Yep. Not sure what bug is up John Case's butt. I have friends who've said the same thing, "oh, there simple three and four chord songs". Uh huh, Then why haven't you written any. I choose to believe the artists that collaborated with Petty over the years ... Dylan, Lynne, Harrison, Orbison, Cash, Grohl, Nicks ... and many more I'm forgetting.
Mr. Beato, you really did this song justice. You did such excellent job explaining this song and breaking down everything. You said the song was one of the greatest songs ever written, and you proved why that is so. You completely vocalized everything that I could not explain myself. Great job and great video. Thanks for this one.
“Hey everybody I’m Rick Beato on todays What Makes This Song Great I’m not wearing a black shirt” I love this channel so much, and have learned so much from you and your breakdowns of theory and wonderful tracks like this one. Congrats on over 1mil subs. YOU DESERVE IT.
Full moon Fever,🌝 one of my favorite TP albums ,cds 📀after his Travaling Wilburys era. In 89 I was going through my first divorce, 😭and was finally embraceing my new lease on life after years of a very stormy romance. Sitting at a red light🚗 in my little north Georgia community, Im jamming 🎸in my 75 Córdoba moon roof open, windows down ( yes with Corinthian leather, and after market sound system) to Free Falling first time, (thanks 96 Rock Atlanta)and Got an emotional rush of confidence and feelings of self worth 🐕that still reverberates in me some thirty years later. The timing of this song in my world is priceless! 🤑 Hope to run into you in the next life my friend?! Rip
That's how I found Pearl Jam in the early 90's. Saved my life. Was Rearviewmirror. Had just survived self harm after brutal mental abuse from my then wife, heard that and walked out found clarity. Their music became the soundtrack of my recovery.
I saw Tom play a few years before he died. He had never played my city before. Ive seen so many shows in that venue. Metallica, Megadeth, Ozzy, Eric Clapton, Supertramp on and on and on. I've never seen a crowd lose their minds for someone like they did for Tom Petty. He was so humbled by it and I think it pushed them to put on an even better show. It was easily one of my top 5 concerts ever.
Amazing Rick. Both you and the Heartbreakers! I am very grateful for the joy you brought to this lesson. A real tribute to Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and the band! Thank you!
One little touch that Rick doesn't point out but that every single time I hear the song sends chills up my spine is the way the backing unison vocals kick in on the single phrase "Ventura Boulevard." It's a mystery why Tom and Jeff and Mike did that, whether to be funny, or to emphasize the importance of the street in the lives of kids in LA at the time or what, but it just kills me every time. It's this eternal question hanging over the song like what were Billy Joe McAllister and the narrator throwing in the water off the Tallahatchie Bridge. What's the deal with VENTURA BOULEVARD?
@@dramatontheater Ms. Gentry has never said exactly what "it" was. The genius of it is that the listener's imagination has to fill it in. If I say that it was an engagement ring that the narrator rejected, and her reaction is based on feelings of guilt, is that less valid? How did they have an aborted fetus to toss in the drink? That assumes the backwoods abortionist gave it to them as a souvenir or something
Didn't know there was such complexity to this song. I always thought it was generic rock but I'm really speechless right now. Like I don't have words. You know? Like I can't find the right words for what I'm feeling right now...
I remember the album coming out, right around the time Jeff Lynn had done the Traveling Wilburys with Tom Petty and Roy Orbison's album and George Harriaons Cloud Nine, all great. And they seemed to have Jeff's signature through out...a bit of ELO which is something else great.
Not to mention his incredible studio and production techniques he developed/mastered in his years with ELO. You can hear his signature all over this record, and The Traveling Wilburys too.
@@almightyantichrist And Into the Great Wide Open, some might say over produced at times. Wildflowers to me is better in that respect, it feels more raw.
Jeff said the year between his breakup of ELO and the beginning of the Harrison years he focused on learning about the technology of the sound board and how to manipulate it to get sounds/effects he wanted. Also learned about recording engineering that Mack did most of during the ELO years. I think that year of intense focus, coupled with his ELO experience made him the great Producer he became for Harrison, Petty, Orbison, Wilburys, The Beatles and his own post ELO albums.
My thoughts on the song: It's a great song, one of those seemingly simple pop songs where the chords behind the verse and chorus are exactly the same (think Loverboy's _Turn Me Loose_ and others). The way I play the acoustic 6-string guitar part (ignoring the capo for the moment) is to play an open E chord (the first chord) and then slide it up and down the neck to finger the A and B chords - basically an A barre chord and a B barre chord with the first two strings of the guitar open in each chord. You then get that dissonance of the sus4 in the B chord you were talking about. You can tell it's a Jeff Lynne production by the drums and guitar playing strictly on the quarter notes. It's like something he does. Re: the chorus - I remember Petty talking about it and that he originally sang it in the same register as the verse before Jeff suggested singing it an octave higher. Thanks for doing the song!
@@commentfreely5443 Ok, but I give him the kuddos to be an instructor, whose ear is still keen.... we normally don't have much of that in our late 40s and 50s....
My favorite movie scene of all time is Tom Cruise singing along to "Free Fallin" in the car in Jerry Maguire. ...Never realized what a killer kick sound this song has!
@@777jones Not easy at all...I can hit it just about half the time...which is not good enough (lol) when you fancy having it in your set. Now, back in "The Day" I could always do a couple of bumps and open with Free Falling, hit that note with confidence (coke, in moderation could make your range increase...for a little while)---but I am not proud of that "history". It's a cheat and not "musically ethical"...so that's my mea culpa. Rick has a killer range still...quite impressive that is, Rick!
One of those songs that instantly transports you to where you were when you first heard it. I can see myself running around outside with my childhood friends, wearing my jams 🤘, soaking up the sun, totally oblivious to the magic of the moment. Hearing real music like this is like seeing an old friend for the first time in a while. It feels like home. The guys making this music were doing it right.
I've heard that Prince played guitar on While My Guitar Gently Weeps at the George Harrison induction ceremony at the RnR Hall of Fame not because he was a Harrison or Beatles fan, (he claimed he'd never heard "While My Guitar Gently Weeps before) but because he thought Free Fallin' was a great song and he wanted to play with Tom Petty.
Man.....I love Prince on that. Killer solo....killer outfit...amd then at the end he throws his guitar and it disappeares.....waiting for him in heaven.
I love Prince and hope you're right, it also has to be noted that he played that mighty solo possibly because he was shunned by Rolling Stone's list for best guitar players if I'm not mistaken...
I'd be really surprised if Prince had not heard that song before. That's got to be an urban legend...especially considering it was a George tribute concert...someone had to give him the call. It wasn't like he just showed up. :)
Captain Santa I Replied to the first comment then i saw this one...First thanks for the comment cause I wish i knew of a Toto performance of this song . Luke is a beast and i would have had the same reaction....
Every video I watch, the more I have a deeper love for music. I have always been into music but Rick has an incredible ability to articulate all the moving parts that we take for granted while listening. Rick, you are an inspirational genius. Thank you.
Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty, what a beautiful combination. Jeff could likely make anyone sound full and complete, but take a master 33rd level such as Tom and let Jeff direct his powers, and it is just sweet stuff.
I can't believe how well executed this little analysis is. Each time you want to check something out, it comes in perfectly - no stumbling around, no funny faces. I was going to check this out, but it was over before I thought about anything. Perfect.
Breaking down a song like this reveals the complexity and subtleties that exist in a song that only seems to be simple. The chords sound like they are simply repeated throughout , and yet there are so many other elements happening. The small discordances, the tension, the soaring off time background vocal near the end, the drum roll. Anyone can write a 50-chord obscurity in alternating 5/6 and 6/7 time. Genius can take three chords and build a universe.
I always heard something mysterious and cool at that spot with the major against the sus 4, and that’s it. That’s it. Wow. I never tried to figure it out, I guess I just assumed those guys were just awesome.
Truly a great song and album. I remember lying in the bed as a college student listening to Tom Petty play songs from this album live on Westwood One radio network. I bought the album the next day.
I'll tell you why this song is great, and with tears in my eyes I say it's because it's Tom Petty that's why this song is great. God how I miss that guy.
Jeff Lynne with ELO was introduced to me when I was a young kid and I just fell in love with the music and the voice. His voice is incredible...and the music, the ambiance ... I do not know what, you tell me Rick...took me away ...far away into space or something like that...specially Time and Secret Messages. Are they blockers? And let`s hear some more girls.. NO DOUBT Tragic Kingdom (the song) is too great not to show the world. Love the "What Makes This Song Great". Cheers!
You know how many people strum chords? There is about 10k people who are saying..."Wait...I came up with that!" Add Jeff Lynnn, Mike Cambell and Tom, a new record deal and that strumming becomes magic! I just thought this was a simple tune but once again it is producer magic...layer on layer on layer!! So much creativity in this tune.
Only discovered this series by Rick Beato a few months ago and I SIMPLY cannot get enough. My ONLY recommendation would be to play the song in full, uninterrupted at the conclusion, but understand that he might not be able to do that due to Copyright restrictions. Love, love, love this series.
Can't believe Tom is even gone from this place! He was great, and worldwide recognized, but I still feel like his skill as a vocalist and musician, on the whole, is largely underrated.
I LOVE & MISS the great Tom Petty, so glad I saw Tom & the Heartbreakers twice during the 40the anniversary tour, once in August & then Toms last concert ever, 1 week exactly prior to his death!
Super helpful to see the many layers and simple complexities of this amazing song!!! I’m working on my song writing and this explanation was EXACTLY what I needed to finish my song. A million thanks Rick!!!
Just as the Beatles were inducted into the RRHOF individually to recognize their solo work after the Beatles, Jeff Lynne should be inducted for all of his work after leaving ELO. Very impressive body of work that few in the industry can match.
The Cars are fantastically underrated. All through my childhood I heard their music and I love it. When they came out they really did do something pretty new and unheard of.
@@lunarpking - Yeah, like to check out a British group called "XTC" who the Cars were said to sound like. Still, you can't beat the Cars, with two great vocalists who were so different. Also, their lead guitar player wrote a column for a guitar magazine in the 1980s. They were state of the art. And then Ric captured Paula's heart, which broke guy's minds everywhere. A legendary band, many great songs.
GREAT job Rick. I NEVER get tired of these. EVERY SINGLE TIME I learn something new about a song I’ve listened to a thousand times and I say “I never noticed that before. “ or “I never realized that part was in the song.” Thank you for doing these.
Its simple, Tom loved to write and record and it shows. He loved it from the first time all the way to his end. He just got better at it as he went. He reminds me of Ronnie VanZant. He never had a bad song ever!
Wow, new camera? Great looking video. What a beautifully song. The sound of it is amazing. Once again, great job breaking down why this song is so amazing...
Great vid. Only thing maybe to add on to how great this song is (and how great Petty's approach was) is that the underlying verse and chorus were the same chords/structure throughout the entire song. To have no structural changes for the chorus and be a pop rock hit in the late 80's was next level. Petty was genius.
I played this song with a band I trained a while ago and I remember working out all those beautiful details in the various guitar parts and the vocal harmonies...such intricate work of true masters, a real three chord gem!
Rick, make one of these videos with a song by one of the best lyricist of all time, and also a genius composer, my favorite musician, Joni Mitchell. She has hundreds of incredible songs, but for some reason my favorite melody is her song, The Wolf that Lives in Lindsey. The chords in that song convey emotions in me for which I have no name.
One of the unsung pieces of greatness in that recording is the amazing drumming of Phil Jones, who stays maddeningly behind the beat throughout the song. It creates so much tension, like squeezing a grapefruit through a keyhole!
Also, the hook line... the first "I'm free" sounds like a good thing - but the following, "I'm free falling", clearly isn't. That's a nice surprise. And that "falling" is also a descending musical line.
When you said that this episode is dedicated to "Free Fallin'", I knew that you're gonna point out the sus4/3 chords, and I was cheering, because I love them as much as you do! These sus4 chords together with the third are so overwhelmingly beautiful; they make all the difference!
Hey Rick, where do you find these multitrack recordings of all these songs? I’d love to get my hands on some of them just to check out the isolated parts on my own.
Rick, thank you for pointing out the beauty of the simplicity of this song. It's not stressed often enough that songs don't need to be overwritten to be masterpieces. Tom is one of the greatest songwriters of our lifetime.
Jimmy produced Hard Promises as well. I really wanna see American Girl because of the layered guitars(they used 2 six strings to fake a 12 because they were too poor to buy one)
Tom Petty was the first rock musician I noticed that wasn't good looking on stage. When seeing him first time on a taped concert I was amazed to realize that it was his music we were enjoying, and not the usual circus I was used to on stage. Great musician. And Rick, best rock analyst!
What I notice most in this breakdown, is that every musician in the song exercises a huge amount of "restraint". This song could have very well been a loud-rocking display of the band's prowess. Instead, they took a "freefall" and put it in slow motion. Rick, this is a monumental analysis. Your comments on the production decisions are very influential in my development as a writer and recording enthusiast. I have recently invested a significant amount of money (for me) in completing my home-based recording studio. I have been collecting guitars for over thirty years now and have ten stringed instruments, including a bass and an ukulele. I have two somewhat-vintage mic's (one of them signed by Gregg Allman), and two new ones. And . . . I just bought a decent electronic drum set, as well as highly rated 32-track recording console. I will be laying my first tracks this weekend, and I could not have come across this episode of yours at a more perfect time. Your tips are shaping my approach to the end result and final product in such important ways, that I must thank you very deeply. Your channel is such a gift! God bless!
*This* is exactly why I watch every new video in this series! I've resisted the temptation to comment on every one because my gushing over every new offering would probably get old to some of the regulars. I would like to say, though, that my personal subtitle for this video would be *What Makes This Series Great!* . Once again you've taken a song I already enjoyed and kicked my appreciation up several notches. The little studio stratagems (to call them "tricks" would cheapen their brilliance, imo) you point out highlight the way that recording is much like painting. The eye may be drawn to the obvious but the layers upon which it is built up are just as important on a more subtle level. Kudos on adding extra sparkle to an already remarkable gem.
There are certain songs that always cause "musical frisson" in me not matter how often I hear them, and Free Falling has been near the top. Beautiful in its simplicity, and those subtle uses of dissonance and the tension created throughout, as Rick indicated, are spot on. Of all the videos you do Rick, your "What makes this song great" series is the best and my favorite. Thanks for all you do!
So many of Petty's best songs sound effortless for lack of a better word, but Rick is masterful at detailing just how much care goes into not only the writing but recording/production of memorable tunes. "Free Falling" evokes wonderful memories of playing baseball in my best friend's backyard in the summer of '89 with the radio blasting from his porch.
The opening title song is the entire album. There's only one song on the album. Are you asking for him to do the radio (single) edit? BTW, I'd love to see this, too. Fabulous album.
@@kenlee5015 You are correct, the album is one long brilliant piece. Perhaps I should have said the intro or opening theme piece? You really can't separate any of it but, I thought it was worth Rick tearing into it..
Back about 37 years ago I was DJ at WPDR radio in Portage, Wisconsin, which was a total country station. This was just before switching from records and tapes to digital media. I was not really a country fan, but it was a gig. To break up the monotony, I'd bring in Tom Petty, Credence, Eagles and other country-rock bands from my own collection. I'd sneak them in, between the "required" tunes I was supposed to play. I never had one complaint. If the pay had been better, I could have driven that station toward a broader playlist. It was short time in my life, and it was so fun playing the superior tunes I brought in.
I heard this song the first time in class when I was 16 or so. It came up in a documentary about people with a disability taking parachute jumps. That's a quarter of a century ago and this song is the only thing I remember from all of my classes that year..
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Rick Beato: The greatest music appreciation teacher of all time!
That is a big call,...and I might just agree
Amen
It was Jeff Lynn who came up with the words "free falling' and told Tom to sing it at a higher and louder pitch ... when Tom sung it that way they knew immediately they were on to something special.
He also asked Tom to do away with one of the original chords and strip it back ... absolute genius from 2 legends!!
... he also played the bass/slide
Tom Petty has some of the most simple, but most kick ass rock songs ever. Just elegant little puzzle pieces put together that make me go, " Why didn't I think of that?!"
Agreed!
These guys are masters of simplicity. Tom Petty's starting point must have been "no more than 4 chords".
Mike Campbell has a lot to do with the writing and making them sparkle.
Less is more, and space is the place always trump complication.
I feel like The Cure have a very similar quality.
‘Cos you’re not Tom Petty or Rick Beato...? (Me neither:) )
Tom Petty is so masterful in presenting top-tier songwriting with absolutely no sense of pretension. His work feels authentic to its core.
One of the many great things about Rick's videos is that the comments are always positive, often moving, never unpleasant, with zero thumbs-down. Perhaps across all SM only Rick has achieved this.
Nice to see Jeff Lynne get a little love here. He’s a “musician’s musician”. It’s also nice to see that even many of his 1970s harshest critics come around the last several years to admit he’s a pop/rock genius.
The Beatles certainly thought he was a genius.
I thought so right away, as soon as I heard his band flip "Roll Over, Beethoven." When you hear the end, you can hear what smart musicians learned from the Beatles. That production tricks - like Rick is trying to teach us - are the secrets of success as a musician.
From what standpoint could anyone criticise Jeff Lynne if their name wasn't Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
Jeff Lynne is a musical genius! It's hard to believe that the background vocals are just Tom and Jeff. Jeff also played the bass, keyboards and did all the arrangements and mixing on this track.
Yep. In an alternate reality Jeff Lynne could have been another Beatle.
@@paulm749 imagine the Beatles with George Martin and Jeff Lynne as a production duo
@@Somewhere-in ... TROLL
A visionary too.
I bought Elo's album Time back in the day. Was 1980 i believe. The entire album is not only great songs, but it is all on a theme. Its stories in the future.
And he was saying things in the lyrics that nobody could foresee at the time. I felt it all, but didnt know where to place it. And i felt he was right, but couldnt explain why.
As the decades went by, it became horribly true.
I bought Full Moon Fever when it was newly released without having heard a single song off it. One of the best purchases I ever made!
Just shed a tear at the breakdown when he sings “I’m gonna free fall out into nothing, gonna leave this world for a while.”
Such memories of this song, album, and video when I was young. It’s amazing how music has such indelible impact on you emotionally for lots of reasons.
Tom Petty was a great artist who left us way too early.
Going up in LA, I have some great memories of high school with this song, the video.
I never understood if he was talking about suicide or a drug binge. Maybe both at the same time.
@@Bubu567 I think he’s singing about love or lost love
My uncle was mates with Mike Campbell, he got us VIP passes to a Tom Petty gig at Wembley Arena in the UK back in 1987. We left the gig with the band and I spent the evening with Mike and his family back at his hotel room. Such a cool guy.
cool story man.
It's amazing what you can do with three chords and a joint.
Yes!! Completing the chord by singing the A (7th) against the Bbsus2 is EXACTLY what makes this song great. Spot on! Then the sung lyrics of “I’m free..!” - which illicit “hope” - Yet there’s that foreshadowing heartache Bbsus2 chord and vocal A note, right before he sings “free fallin’!” - which lets you know the author isn’t hopeful and free at all. Just the perfect chord/sung melody/lyrics combination. Just incredible.
You could do another 150 of these episodes focusing exclusively on just Tom Petty deceptively brilliant songs.
Great idea.
I'd watch
Easily over looked seemingly simple stuff. Tim was one of the greats. Mike too.
JOEYWHO yeah, tim potty was great
This needs to happen.
This is the best series on RUclips! Just when you think you've heard these songs so many times that they lose their shine a bit, Rick breaks them down and makes them sound new all over again.
Tom songs always created such rich textures. Simple chords but rich evolving, changing, swirling textures. Gawd I miss the guy. RIP Tom! One of the best song writers ever.
Really?......There are mic stands that toured with the Eagles with more talent.
One of the greatest??? If you are gonna write simplistic songs....then a least have a stunning voice. Don't croon like a pubescent boy.
All I hear is that time Peter Brady's voice changed when the Brady Bunch decided to have a family band.
The Monkey's were better musicians. LOL
Absolutely one of the best.
@@johncase3998 Always thought Tom sounded like Dylan. It's not about his voice, it's about the songs. If you want to debate if he was great song writer, I will just point to the number of songs that made the Billboard 100. You can still say what you want but money $$$ talks you know the rest. I stand by my original premise, he was one of the greatest songwriters ever. He used a lot of simple chords. It was his phrasing, dynamics and textures that make his song. I In 2002 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not too many Mic stands inducted. Not sure about the Monkeys. MHO, you can disagree but the Hall of Fame says otherwise. Peace, out.
Most of TPs songs could be played well by an average guitarist and vocalist. True of most popular music. Credit goes to production and marketing more than the lead musician. That has always been the trick. Make it simple and catchy but also stand out. OP here got it right, texture. Pettys credit for the texture is debatable though. John Case sounds like the myriad of very technically talented musicians who won't play music that most people enjoy, while sacrificing being able to shred the axe the whole way through.
@@hotjamsm07 Yep. Not sure what bug is up John Case's butt. I have friends who've said the same thing, "oh, there simple three and four chord songs". Uh huh, Then why haven't you written any. I choose to believe the artists that collaborated with Petty over the years ... Dylan, Lynne, Harrison, Orbison, Cash, Grohl, Nicks ... and many more I'm forgetting.
Thank you for doing another Tom Petty song, his songs are truly special in a way that I can't really describe.
Mr. Beato, you really did this song justice. You did such excellent job explaining this song and breaking down everything. You said the song was one of the greatest songs ever written, and you proved why that is so.
You completely vocalized everything that I could not explain myself. Great job and great video. Thanks for this one.
“Hey everybody I’m Rick Beato on todays What Makes This Song Great I’m not wearing a black shirt”
I love this channel so much, and have learned so much from you and your breakdowns of theory and wonderful tracks like this one. Congrats on over 1mil subs. YOU DESERVE IT.
Full moon Fever,🌝 one of my favorite TP albums ,cds 📀after his Travaling Wilburys era.
In 89 I was going through my first divorce, 😭and was finally embraceing my new lease on life after years of a very stormy romance. Sitting at a red light🚗 in my little north Georgia community,
Im jamming 🎸in my 75 Córdoba moon roof open, windows down ( yes with Corinthian leather, and after market sound system) to Free Falling first time, (thanks 96 Rock Atlanta)and Got an emotional rush of confidence and feelings of self worth 🐕that still reverberates in me some thirty years later.
The timing of this song in my world is priceless! 🤑
Hope to run into you in the next life my friend?! Rip
That's how I found Pearl Jam in the early 90's. Saved my life. Was Rearviewmirror. Had just survived self harm after brutal mental abuse from my then wife, heard that and walked out found clarity. Their music became the soundtrack of my recovery.
I miss my 86 grand prix that I put a 350 in then ummmm I met a fence. Saved me. Put more money into my drums. Cant crash those
john manzione ok boomer pls calm down with all these emojis
So interesting to understand why this song is so great, why it has the effect it does. Makes it even greater.
I saw Tom play a few years before he died. He had never played my city before. Ive seen so many shows in that venue. Metallica, Megadeth, Ozzy, Eric Clapton, Supertramp on and on and on. I've never seen a crowd lose their minds for someone like they did for Tom Petty. He was so humbled by it and I think it pushed them to put on an even better show. It was easily one of my top 5 concerts ever.
Amazing Rick. Both you and the Heartbreakers! I am very grateful for the joy you brought to this lesson. A real tribute to Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and the band! Thank you!
One little touch that Rick doesn't point out but that every single time I hear the song sends chills up my spine is the way the backing unison vocals kick in on the single phrase "Ventura Boulevard." It's a mystery why Tom and Jeff and Mike did that, whether to be funny, or to emphasize the importance of the street in the lives of kids in LA at the time or what, but it just kills me every time. It's this eternal question hanging over the song like what were Billy Joe McAllister and the narrator throwing in the water off the Tallahatchie Bridge. What's the deal with VENTURA BOULEVARD?
Do u really not know what they were throwing in the water?
@@dramatontheater It doesn't say in the song. (Not talking about the movie)
Theyre throwing the aborted baby into the water
@@dramatontheater Ms. Gentry has never said exactly what "it" was. The genius of it is that the listener's imagination has to fill it in. If I say that it was an engagement ring that the narrator rejected, and her reaction is based on feelings of guilt, is that less valid? How did they have an aborted fetus to toss in the drink? That assumes the backwoods abortionist gave it to them as a souvenir or something
True! I concede!
Incredible song full of hit-making nuance. Jeff Lynne really made a great song even greater.
Didn't know there was such complexity to this song. I always thought it was generic rock but I'm really speechless right now. Like I don't have words. You know? Like I can't find the right words for what I'm feeling right now...
I remember the album coming out, right around the time Jeff Lynn had done the Traveling Wilburys with Tom Petty and Roy Orbison's album and George Harriaons Cloud Nine, all great. And they seemed to have Jeff's signature through out...a bit of ELO which is something else great.
Finally some Jeff Lynne stuff! He is probably 95% of the background vox and instrumentation
Hear, hear!! I'd happily ride along on the crest of a wave (with Rick describing why any of Jeff's songs are great). It'd be, like, magic!
Not to mention his incredible studio and production techniques he developed/mastered in his years with ELO. You can hear his signature all over this record, and The Traveling Wilburys too.
@@almightyantichrist And Into the Great Wide Open, some might say over produced at times. Wildflowers to me is better in that respect, it feels more raw.
Joshua Beaver PURE TALENT
Jeff said the year between his breakup of ELO and the beginning of the Harrison years he focused on learning about the technology of the sound board and how to manipulate it to get sounds/effects he wanted. Also learned about recording engineering that Mack did most of during the ELO years. I think that year of intense focus, coupled with his ELO experience made him the great Producer he became for Harrison, Petty, Orbison, Wilburys, The Beatles and his own post ELO albums.
My thoughts on the song: It's a great song, one of those seemingly simple pop songs where the chords behind the verse and chorus are exactly the same (think Loverboy's _Turn Me Loose_ and others). The way I play the acoustic 6-string guitar part (ignoring the capo for the moment) is to play an open E chord (the first chord) and then slide it up and down the neck to finger the A and B chords - basically an A barre chord and a B barre chord with the first two strings of the guitar open in each chord. You then get that dissonance of the sus4 in the B chord you were talking about. You can tell it's a Jeff Lynne production by the drums and guitar playing strictly on the quarter notes. It's like something he does. Re: the chorus - I remember Petty talking about it and that he originally sang it in the same register as the verse before Jeff suggested singing it an octave higher. Thanks for doing the song!
LOVE this video. Excellent insights. This song falls into the category of “simple but not easy.”
good comment, man
@@commentfreely5443 Ok, but I give him the kuddos to be an instructor, whose ear is still keen.... we normally don't have much of that in our late 40s and 50s....
....hahaha, chad kroger is your picture, funny
Look at this comment!!!!!
Your pic is just a little Nickleback-y for me.
My favorite movie scene of all time is Tom Cruise singing along to "Free Fallin" in the car in Jerry Maguire. ...Never realized what a killer kick sound this song has!
It’s not an easy note to hit. I can’t do it.
@@777jones Not easy at all...I can hit it just about half the time...which is not good enough (lol) when you fancy having it in your set.
Now, back in "The Day" I could always do a couple of bumps and open with Free Falling, hit that note with confidence (coke, in moderation could make your range increase...for a little while)---but I am not proud of that "history". It's a cheat and not "musically ethical"...so that's my mea culpa.
Rick has a killer range still...quite impressive that is, Rick!
you absolutely rock rick. thank you for dissecting these gems
One of those songs that instantly transports you to where you were when you first heard it. I can see myself running around outside with my childhood friends, wearing my jams 🤘, soaking up the sun, totally oblivious to the magic of the moment. Hearing real music like this is like seeing an old friend for the first time in a while. It feels like home. The guys making this music were doing it right.
I've heard that Prince played guitar on While My Guitar Gently Weeps at the George Harrison induction ceremony at the RnR Hall of Fame not because he was a Harrison or Beatles fan, (he claimed he'd never heard "While My Guitar Gently Weeps before) but because he thought Free Fallin' was a great song and he wanted to play with Tom Petty.
Man.....I love Prince on that. Killer solo....killer outfit...amd then at the end he throws his guitar and it disappeares.....waiting for him in heaven.
@@hallucinatedovens8414 Can't believe I'm saying this but Prince still wins...
I love Prince and hope you're right, it also has to be noted that he played that mighty solo possibly because he was shunned by Rolling Stone's list for best guitar players if I'm not mistaken...
I'd be really surprised if Prince had not heard that song before. That's got to be an urban legend...especially considering it was a George tribute concert...someone had to give him the call. It wasn't like he just showed up. :)
Captain Santa I Replied to the first comment then i saw this one...First thanks for the comment cause I wish i knew of a Toto performance of this song . Luke is a beast and i would have had the same reaction....
Every video I watch, the more I have a deeper love for music. I have always been into music but Rick has an incredible ability to articulate all the moving parts that we take for granted while listening. Rick, you are an inspirational genius. Thank you.
Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty, what a beautiful combination. Jeff could likely make anyone sound full and complete, but take a master 33rd level such as Tom and let Jeff direct his powers, and it is just sweet stuff.
Phenomenal analysis of one of my all-time favorite songs! Love it!
This video was totally worth it for the 3-part harmony vocals at 13:40.
When Beato puts a shirt on you know things are getting serious
Eargasm moment
Personally, I came here for the crash at 14:18
@@UMfan21 No offence to Rick but his wrists were to stiff for good drumming
@@carlotapuig I know nothing about drumming technique. I appreciated the camera work and the closeup when he hits the crash. It was awesome.
I can't believe how well executed this little analysis is. Each time you want to check something out, it comes in perfectly - no stumbling around, no funny faces. I was going to check this out, but it was over before I thought about anything. Perfect.
The vocals are amazing. Tom's unique voice and Jeff's onpoint backgrounds.
Breaking down a song like this reveals the complexity and subtleties that exist in a song that only seems to be simple. The chords sound like they are simply repeated throughout , and yet there are so many other elements happening. The small discordances, the tension, the soaring off time background vocal near the end, the drum roll.
Anyone can write a 50-chord obscurity in alternating 5/6 and 6/7 time. Genius can take three chords and build a universe.
The Jeff Lynne backing vocals and overall influence never hurts, imho.
And in the live version it’s Howie Epstein, god bless him.
Digging into these layers really makes me appreciate this song so much more.
I always heard something mysterious and cool at that spot with the major against the sus 4, and that’s it. That’s it. Wow.
I never tried to figure it out, I guess I just assumed those guys were just awesome.
Truly a great song and album. I remember lying in the bed as a college student listening to Tom Petty play songs from this album live on Westwood One radio network. I bought the album the next day.
Yep. Sometimes you appreciate things even more when they are gone.
I'll tell you why this song is great, and with tears in my eyes I say it's because it's Tom Petty that's why this song is great. God how I miss that guy.
Jeff Lynne with ELO was introduced to me when I was a young kid and I just fell in love with the music and the voice. His voice is incredible...and the music, the ambiance ... I do not know what, you tell me Rick...took me away ...far away into space or something like that...specially Time and Secret Messages. Are they blockers? And let`s hear some more girls.. NO DOUBT Tragic Kingdom (the song) is too great not to show the world. Love the "What Makes This Song Great". Cheers!
Sunday Morning is cool too...
Rick, every time you do a What Makes This Song Great it gives me such more appreciation for the song. Thank you!
You're incredible, Rick. I never really noticed how well constructed this song is, but it really make me appreciate all of the nuances. Thanks!
You know how many people strum chords? There is about 10k people who are saying..."Wait...I came up with that!" Add Jeff Lynnn, Mike Cambell and Tom, a new record deal and that strumming becomes magic! I just thought this was a simple tune but once again it is producer magic...layer on layer on layer!! So much creativity in this tune.
Jeff Lynne is stamped all over Full Moon Fever. He has an amazing "signature sound".
Only discovered this series by Rick Beato a few months ago and I SIMPLY cannot get enough. My ONLY recommendation would be to play the song in full, uninterrupted at the conclusion, but understand that he might not be able to do that due to Copyright restrictions. Love, love, love this series.
Can't believe Tom is even gone from this place! He was great, and worldwide recognized, but I still feel like his skill as a vocalist and musician, on the whole, is largely underrated.
I LOVE & MISS the great Tom Petty, so glad I saw Tom & the Heartbreakers twice during the 40the anniversary tour, once in August & then Toms last concert ever, 1 week exactly prior to his death!
Love the shot with you on the snare.
😂 priceless.
Music nerds! Unite! I really dig this series!!!!
Super helpful to see the many layers and simple complexities of this amazing song!!! I’m working on my song writing and this explanation was EXACTLY what I needed to finish my song. A million thanks Rick!!!
Chills going into the chorus.
Just as the Beatles were inducted into the RRHOF individually to recognize their solo work after the Beatles, Jeff Lynne should be inducted for all of his work after leaving ELO. Very impressive body of work that few in the industry can match.
Tom Petty = The reason I picked up a guitar. Amazing songs which are nice and simple. It's nice hearing Tom's voice on it's own
Great episode! Can we get one on the Cars? They have some amazing studio work.
The Cars are fantastically underrated. All through my childhood I heard their music and I love it. When they came out they really did do something pretty new and unheard of.
Totally agree Cars are an underrated band.
DRIVE!!!
@@lunarpking - Yeah, like to check out a British group called "XTC" who the Cars were said to sound like. Still, you can't beat the Cars, with two great vocalists who were so different. Also, their lead guitar player wrote a column for a guitar magazine in the 1980s. They were state of the art. And then Ric captured Paula's heart, which broke guy's minds everywhere. A legendary band, many great songs.
Bye Bye Love!!
GREAT job Rick.
I NEVER get tired of these.
EVERY SINGLE TIME I learn something new about a song I’ve listened to a thousand times and I say “I never noticed that before. “ or “I never realized that part was in the song.”
Thank you for doing these.
Its simple, Tom loved to write and record and it shows. He loved it from the first time all the way to his end. He just got better at it as he went. He reminds me of Ronnie VanZant. He never had a bad song ever!
Honestly, when you put the parts separated they don't sound much. But when they all play together is freaking amazing.
Wow, new camera? Great looking video. What a beautifully song. The sound of it is amazing. Once again, great job breaking down why this song is so amazing...
thomas mcgill it’s the blue shirt.
New lens.
Thanks Tom the new lens is killer!
@@RickBeato Man, it really makes a difference. Now I understand why you have been striving for a more polished look. You have accomplished it.
Great vid. Only thing maybe to add on to how great this song is (and how great Petty's approach was) is that the underlying verse and chorus were the same chords/structure throughout the entire song. To have no structural changes for the chorus and be a pop rock hit in the late 80's was next level. Petty was genius.
I guarantee the sonic ideas on the song are from Jeff Lynne. Guy is a genius!!
I played this song with a band I trained a while ago and I remember working out all those beautiful details in the various guitar parts and the vocal harmonies...such intricate work of true masters, a real three chord gem!
You could write a book on how many great songs Lynne has had a hand in.
The part where the 3-part vocals + offbeat vocals + lead vocals all come together is pure ecstasy.
don’t forget that tambourine added to the last chorus!
Undoubtedly a great song. I still remember watching the video back when it came out. Chills all over when you soloed the vocals...
Rick, make one of these videos with a song by one of the best lyricist of all time, and also a genius composer, my favorite musician, Joni Mitchell. She has hundreds of incredible songs, but for some reason my favorite melody is her song, The Wolf that Lives in Lindsey. The chords in that song convey emotions in me for which I have no name.
I love Joni. One of the greatest of all-time.
@@RickBeato do "both sides now"! The ethereal quality of it would be really cool to break down!
One of the unsung pieces of greatness in that recording is the amazing drumming of Phil Jones, who stays maddeningly behind the beat throughout the song. It creates so much tension, like squeezing a grapefruit through a keyhole!
Also, the hook line... the first "I'm free" sounds like a good thing - but the following, "I'm free falling", clearly isn't. That's a nice surprise. And that "falling" is also a descending musical line.
Excelente tu aporte. A la altura de RB. Gracias
@Lucas Robinett Absolutely!
Nice insight.
That, in my mind is what elevates the song into greatness. He leaves the girl thinking he's free, but he ends up free falling...
What an amazingly beautiful song... Brings me back to the mid 90's, when I started playing guitar. We lost Tom Petty way too soon.
I wish you would consider doing “Year of the Cat” by Al Stewart.
When you said that this episode is dedicated to "Free Fallin'", I knew that you're gonna point out the sus4/3 chords, and I was cheering, because I love them as much as you do! These sus4 chords together with the third are so overwhelmingly beautiful; they make all the difference!
Hey Rick, where do you find these multitrack recordings of all these songs? I’d love to get my hands on some of them just to check out the isolated parts on my own.
Thanks for helping me hear so much more in every song I listen too- especially this one. I've always loved it, and now it love it more.
Rick, great work. Please consider doing a, "What Makes This Song Great" video on Talking Heads 'And She Was'. Thanks!
Rick, thank you for pointing out the beauty of the simplicity of this song. It's not stressed often enough that songs don't need to be overwritten to be masterpieces. Tom is one of the greatest songwriters of our lifetime.
Rick I wish you would do earlier Tom Petty, like stuff from Damn the Torpedoes when Jimmy Iovine was producing
Jimmy produced Hard Promises as well. I really wanna see American Girl because of the layered guitars(they used 2 six strings to fake a 12 because they were too poor to buy one)
Don’t do me like that.
Tom Petty was the first rock musician I noticed that wasn't good looking on stage. When seeing him first time on a taped concert I was amazed to realize that it was his music we were enjoying, and not the usual circus I was used to on stage. Great musician. And Rick, best rock analyst!
Please could you do a video on Kate Bush?
Thanks - love the videos!
What I notice most in this breakdown, is that every musician in the song exercises a huge amount of "restraint". This song could have very well been a loud-rocking display of the band's prowess. Instead, they took a "freefall" and put it in slow motion.
Rick, this is a monumental analysis. Your comments on the production decisions are very influential in my development as a writer and recording enthusiast. I have recently invested a significant amount of money (for me) in completing my home-based recording studio. I have been collecting guitars for over thirty years now and have ten stringed instruments, including a bass and an ukulele. I have two somewhat-vintage mic's (one of them signed by Gregg Allman), and two new ones. And . . . I just bought a decent electronic drum set, as well as highly rated 32-track recording console. I will be laying my first tracks this weekend, and I could not have come across this episode of yours at a more perfect time.
Your tips are shaping my approach to the end result and final product in such important ways, that I must thank you very deeply.
Your channel is such a gift!
God bless!
W.M.T.S.G. can’t get enough........MORE PLEASE!!!!!!!!
*This* is exactly why I watch every new video in this series! I've resisted the temptation to comment on every one because my gushing over every new offering would probably get old to some of the regulars. I would like to say, though, that my personal subtitle for this video would be *What Makes This Series Great!* .
Once again you've taken a song I already enjoyed and kicked my appreciation up several notches. The little studio stratagems (to call them "tricks" would cheapen their brilliance, imo) you point out highlight the way that recording is much like painting. The eye may be drawn to the obvious but the layers upon which it is built up are just as important on a more subtle level.
Kudos on adding extra sparkle to an already remarkable gem.
Actually I heard that the third guitar was actually because they recorded it in a stair way at hedley grange
I love how this song unpeeled itself is your ears but stays so strong with each layer.
Such a seemingly simple yet harmonically complex song
John Clark seemingly complex but harmonically simple
lol
There are certain songs that always cause "musical frisson" in me not matter how often I hear them, and Free Falling has been near the top. Beautiful in its simplicity, and those subtle uses of dissonance and the tension created throughout, as Rick indicated, are spot on. Of all the videos you do Rick, your "What makes this song great" series is the best and my favorite. Thanks for all you do!
I like the sharp look of the new lens.
So many of Petty's best songs sound effortless for lack of a better word, but Rick is masterful at detailing just how much care goes into not only the writing but recording/production of memorable tunes. "Free Falling" evokes wonderful memories of playing baseball in my best friend's backyard in the summer of '89 with the radio blasting from his porch.
WMTSG idea: Thick As A Brick, the opening title song. I believe this album is the most brilliant single piece of music in rock n roll history!!
The opening title song is the entire album. There's only one song on the album. Are you asking for him to do the radio (single) edit? BTW, I'd love to see this, too. Fabulous album.
Geddy Lee said this J Tull tour was the best concert he ever attended.
@@kenlee5015 You are correct, the album is one long brilliant piece. Perhaps I should have said the intro or opening theme piece? You really can't separate any of it but, I thought it was worth Rick tearing into it..
Rob I totally agree, if Rick could break down any of it, I'd be elated. It truly is a work of art. :)
This almost made me cry, i´m such a Petty buff but hearing these isolated parts, jesus.... it´s like the holy grail to me! Thank you so much!!
Since you mentioned Jeff Lynne...please do ELO!
Back about 37 years ago I was DJ at WPDR radio in Portage, Wisconsin, which was a total country station. This was just before switching from records and tapes to digital media. I was not really a country fan, but it was a gig. To break up the monotony, I'd bring in Tom Petty, Credence, Eagles and other country-rock bands from my own collection. I'd sneak them in, between the "required" tunes I was supposed to play. I never had one complaint. If the pay had been better, I could have driven that station toward a broader playlist. It was short time in my life, and it was so fun playing the superior tunes I brought in.
It would be amazing if you had a conversation with Jeff Lynne.
I heard this song the first time in class when I was 16 or so. It came up in a documentary about people with a disability taking parachute jumps. That's a quarter of a century ago and this song is the only thing I remember from all of my classes that year..