Tom Petty rarely spoke publicly about his close friendship with George Harrison, worried that mentioning his Beatles connection might come across as boastful. The pair grew close through their work together in the 1980s, including Petty's time in the Traveling Wilburys alongside Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison, and Petty came to regard Harrison less as a former Beatle and more as a trusted older-brother figure in the music business.

Harrison played a hands-on role in Petty's career beyond friendship, notably during the recording of Petty's 1989 album Full Moon Fever, where he helped secure label approval by performing "Free Fallin'" and pushed back on lyrics for "I Won't Back Down" that he felt fell short of Petty's usual standard. Petty described Harrison as one of few industry figures who wasn't "full of shit," valuing his honesty and the decades-long bond that formed once the Beatles mystique faded into a genuine personal friendship.