In the history of supergroups, there is one that hardly ever gets talked about, despite the fact that it was comprised of some of the most famous and beloved artists. The Traveling Wilburys featured a lineup of illustrious songwriters and performers: Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison.
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Formed in 1988, the Traveling Wilburys released two studio albums and several popular songs. The band’s biggest song was the radio-friendly hit, “Handle With Care.” But fans of the band and of Petty may not know that the songwriter had a hand in writing some of the group’s most popular tunes.
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Below, we dive into the band’s catalog and check out four of the songs that Petty helped pen.
1. “Handle With Care”
Written by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne
Released in 1988 on the band’s debut LP, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, it’s thanks to this song that the band even existed. Originally, it was meant as a bonus track for a George Harrison solo release. But record execs pushed the musicians to release it as something more. Thus, the band was formed in earnest, and a record was made. While the song was largely written by Harrison, who came up with the title after seeing it on a package, each of the band members had a hand in the creation, including Petty. The song, which hit No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100, was a favorite of Petty’s to play in concert with his band, The Heartbreakers. Sings the group on the chorus: Everybody’s got somebody to lean on / Put your body next to mine, and dream on.
2. “End of the Line”
Written by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne
Released in 1988 on the band’s first album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, this song concluded the LP as its final track. On it, Petty sings the verses, with other members of the project singing the choruses. With Harrison leading the way on the writing for the song, all members of the band garnered writing credit for the tune, which hit No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the bright rock offering, Petty sings:
You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring
Waiting for someone to tell you everything
Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring
Maybe a diamond ring
3. “Last Night”
Written by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne
Also from the band’s debut 1988 album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, this song was primarily written by Petty, though, like the other tracks on the LP, the rest of the band garnered credits too. Petty has the lion’s share of the vocal performance, on the acoustic-driven song about an encounter with love, Petty croons in his mellow precision:
She was there at the bar
She heard my guitar
She was long and tall
She was the queen of them all
Last night
Thinking about last night
Last night
Thinking about last night
She was dark and discreet
She was light on her feet
We went up to her room
And she lowered the boom
4. “Congratulations”
Written by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne
This song, also from the band’s 1988 debut, was spearheaded by Bob Dylan. The song has that signature reflective Dylan style and lyrical digs. The whole band sings on the track’s chorus, offering oooohs and ahhhhs to back up The Bard. On the song, Dylan sings about losing love and being left alone. His heart broken, he sings:
Congratulations for breaking my heart
Congratulations for tearing it all apart
Congratulations, you finally did succeed
Congratulations for leaving me in need
This morning I looked out my window and found
A bluebird singing, but there was no one around
At night, I lay alone in my bed
With an image of you goin’ around in my head
Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images
