Tom Petty’s catalog features a series of albums recorded with his trusted band the Heartbreakers, along with a smattering of solo releases. Along the way, there were a few occasions when he looked to other famous musicians to help him out with his songs and LPs. We’re excluding frequent collaborators for this list, (which means no Jeff Lynne, for example). Instead, we’re focusing on those special guests who popped in for a song and, in so doing, added something special to the Petty songbook.
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1. Stevie Nicks (vocals on “Insider”)
You thought we were going to go with “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” right? While that hit duet certainly has achieved classic rock evergreen status, but it might not hit as hard as this ballad from Hard Promises (1981) featuring Petty and Nicks. (And to be persnickety, “Draggin'” appeared on Nicks’ Bella Donna rather than a Petty record, so technically it’s a Stevie Nicks tune.)
Tom originally wrote “Insider” for Stevie, but he loved the song so much that he wanted it for his own record, instead inviting her to sing it with him. It’s one of Petty’s most devastating love-gone-wrong songs, as the narrator reaches out to his ex to try and explain the singular pain he’s been feeling since she moved on to another man. Petty’s vocals often quiver with the emotion of the tale, while Nicks is there swooping all around his main melody in charismatic support. It’s a duet for the ages between two masterful performers.
[RELATED: Behind the Song: “Insider” by Tom Petty]
2. Dave Stewart (sitar and synthesizer on “Don’t Come Around Here No More”)
Petty wasn’t immune to the chase for hit pop singles that most major rock stars were looking for in the ‘80s. Stewart, known for his work with Annie Lennox in Eurythmics, had the bones for this track when producer Jimmy Iovine brought it to Petty as a possible collaboration.
Petty fleshed out the lyrics based on Stewart’s chorus, and the result was a Top 15 hit. Stewart pitched in further in the studio with the sitar that drones its way through the beginning of the song and the synths that can be heard throughout the track. Based on his previous records, “Don’t Come Around Here No More” was certainly a departure for Petty. Give credit to Stewart for helping push him out of his comfort zone a bit. And give credit to the wild video as well.
3. Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel (keyboards and backing vocals, respectively, on “The Best of Everything”)
The 1985 album Southern Accents was a struggle for Petty to make. He couldn’t quite follow through on the concept that was supposed to permeate the album, nor could he pinpoint how he wanted certain songs to sound.
For “The Best of Everything,” which would be the sweeping, soulful ballad that closed out the record, Petty finished the basic track and, at a loss for how to finish it, sent it off to Robbie Robertson (formerly of The Band) to produce. Robertson called in a couple of his “Band”-mates to add their special touch. Garth Hudson cast an ethereal glow with his keyboards, and Richard Manuel brought his unmistakable vocals to provide harmonies for Petty’s lead. When you add in the horns, the song certainly captures the Band feel, but the bittersweet love that shines through Petty’s lyric is a must-have element as well.
4. Ringo Starr (drums on “To Find a Friend”)
Petty’s 1994 album, Wildflowers, was technically a solo record, although several Heartbreakers were heavily involved. It was the album where Steve Ferrone became part of the Heartbreakers unit, playing drums on all but a few tracks.
One of the songs where Ferrone left the kit open was “To Find a Friend,” which shares some similarities in sound and lyrical content to “Yer So Bad,” a previous Petty solo classic. Ringo Starr took over on the drums and adds that subtle yet inimitable buoyancy that he brought to so many Beatles songs over the years. Add in a great tack piano part from Heartbreaker Benmont Tench, and you’ve got a track brimming with instrumental goodness.
5. Lindsey Buckingham (backing vocals on “Walls (Circus)”)
Petty pulled together some Wildflowers leftovers, cover songs, and incidental music to provide the soundtrack to the 1996 movie She’s the One. The fact that Petty himself was ambivalent about the results when asked about it in the years afterward hasn’t helped its reputation, and it’s true that even the best tracks, including “Walls,” get a bit confused by Petty recording multiple versions of them.
In the “Walls (Circus)” version, Petty enlisted Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham for backing vocals. Actually, “backing vocals” doesn’t quite do justice to what Buckingham delivered. His multi-tracked vocals come at Petty from all sides, taking what’s a pretty straightforward melody and teasing all sorts of fascinating complexities out of it. When you hear “Walls (No. 3)”, yet another version of the song, it sounds a little punchless without Buckingham’s essential contribution.
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