Remembering When a Tom Petty Single Embraced the Era of Big Production and Even Bigger Videos in 1985
In 1985, Tom Petty deliberately departed from his usual album-focused approach to make “Don’t Come Around Here No More” a standout single. Collaborating with Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, he embraced more elaborate production and an ambitious MTV-era video, helping the song become one of his biggest hits and giving the album Southern Accents added momentum.
The track emerged after Petty sought to refresh the Heartbreakers’ sound, moving away from an early concept-album idea about the American South. Petty and Stewart spent weeks refining its unusual chord changes, programmed drums and sitar, despite some band scepticism; its Alice in Wonderland-inspired video cast Petty as a sinister Mad Hatter. The single reached number 13 on the US pop chart, his second-highest placing at that point.
- Petty reinvented his sound for a major 1985 single.
- Dave Stewart helped create its distinctive production.
- The elaborate video and song boosted Southern Accents.
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