… We’re really just musicians, we’re not even personalities.” That would come later.Ī video so cool it even impressed Michael Jackson, this Long After Dark standout was conceived by Petty and the Heartbreakers after falling under the sway of Mad Max. “It was a little out of character for us. “I felt like, ‘Oh well, here we are,'” Petty recalled with a chuckle in 1983 while reminiscing about this video. “Letting You Go” is shockingly postmodern, constantly reminding you of the phoniness of the whole endeavor. This Hard Promises cut is a video about making a video, as Petty and the Heartbreakers contend with the fact that the cameramen are moving closer and closer into their personal space, forcing them to rebel.

But he was one of the few to turn that discomfort into the point of a video. Like a lot of artists at the time, Petty didn’t immediately take to music videos, feeling uncomfortable and inauthentic lip-synching in front of a camera. HIS VIDEOS ARE CONSTRUCTED EACH TIME DIFFERENTLY AS A SHORT MOVIE.ĮVEN JOHNNY DEPP AND FAY DUNAWAY PLAYED IN ONE OF HIS VIDEO 'INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN'' (1991).

THE MASTER OF SONG VIDEOS WAS UNDOUBTEDLY THE LATE TOM PETTY AMONG THOUSANDS OF VIDEOS. Τom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Learning To Fly (Version 1)

Tom petty learning to fly