Remembering When Robbie Robertson’s Input Helped Salvage a Classic Tom Petty Ballad in 1985

Tom Petty worked with some incredible collaborators over the years who helped bring his music to fruition. In one case, an incredibly renowned musician contributed greatly to a Petty song without playing a note.

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The song in question is “The Best Of Everything”, a gorgeous ballad that closes out Petty’s 1985 album Southern Accents. And the artist in question was Robbie Robertson, who brought a couple of former members of The Band with him to lend the song a special glow.

Agonizing ‘Accents’

Tom Petty struggled mightily to realize his original vision of the Southern Accents album. He originally thought of it as a concept album about the American South. But then he strayed a bit once he started working with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, delving into more pop-oriented material.

In the meantime, he battled to get the sound just right on several songs. That included the album opener “Rebels”. He couldn’t get the studio recording to match the magic of the demo. So frustrated was Petty that he punched a studio wall, severely injuring his hand in the process.

At that point, Petty just wanted to finish the album somehow. As a result, he began looking to fill out the running time with anything that was already in the can. That’s when he turned to “The Best Of Everything”.

Robbie Knows “Best”

Petty had first recorded “The Best Of Everything” with The Heartbreakers for their 1981 album Hard Promises. It didn’t make it to that LP. But a few years later, he got a call from Robbie Robertson. Robertson asked Petty if he had any material lying around that he might want to donate.

Robertson was coordinating the music for The King Of Comedy, directed by his good friend Martin Scorsese. When he heard Petty’s version of “The Best Of Everything”, Robertson asked if he could take the song and add some horns to it. Little did Petty know that Robertson would do much more than that.

At one point, Petty and Robertson were, by chance, working in the same studio. Petty asked if he could hear the progress on “The Best Of Everything”. But Robertson gently insisted that Petty stay out of the process. Robertson told Petty that he could simply reject the ex-Band member’s efforts if Tom didn’t like them. As it turned out, Petty loved the final results.

“Everything” in Its Right Place

Robertson added horns to the track as he promised to do. But he also called upon Garth Hudson, also formerly of The Band, to add some spectral keyboard parts. And Richard Manuel, one of The Band’s most memorable voices, piped in with some gorgeous harmonies.

Ironically enough, Robertson didn’t end up using “The Best Of Everything” in The King Of Comedy. That was lucky for Petty, who ended up needing the song for Southern Accents.

Some forty years after the fact, “The Best Of Everything” now stands as one of Petty’s most heart-rending ballads. Robbie Robertson gets the assist, both for his production touches and for knowing just who to call to bring out the best in the song.

(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)