Tom Petty enjoyed a ton of success when collaborating with Stevie Nicks. The pair hit the Top 40 a couple of times with duets. There was just something about the way those two voices blended that brought something special to each occasion they worked together.
But many folks might have missed the contribution that another member of Fleetwood Mac made to Petty’s work. It came on one of Petty’s best songs of the 90s.
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Tom Petty had just finished touring behind his wildly successful Wildflowers album, which was released in 1994. He had also recently divorced his first wife. Following that, he moved into a Los Angeles home with a rural vibe that he labeled “the Chicken Shack.”
Petty started working on some new songs at his new location with portable recording equipment that he stored in one of his bedrooms. During that time period, he connected with Edward Burns. The musician enjoyed The Brothers McMullen, a film that Burns had written and directed.
Burns was by then working on his follow-up movie She’s The One. He asked if Petty might want to assemble the soundtrack. At first, Petty thought he might court some of his famous friends to provide songs. Ultimately, he decided that he and The Heartbreakers would be up for handling all the film’s music.
Building “Walls”
Petty still had plenty of tracks left over from the Wildflowers sessions which he thought would work for the She’s The One soundtrack. He also had the songs he’d been writing at home.
One of those songs came from something he’d heard Johnny Cash said to him once. Petty used the saying as the first line: “Some days are diamonds/Some days are rocks”. The rest of the lyrics tell the story of a persistent suitor who warns the reticent object of his affection that he might be tiring of the chase. The song was called “Walls”.
Burns had explained to Petty that he wanted a song that he’d use at the start of the movie that he’d bring back at the end of the film, albeit this time in a different arrangement. Petty thought “Walls” might be perfect for this kind of treatment. That’s when he decided to go back to the Fleetwood Mac well and involve Lindsey Buckingham.
A Boost from Buckingham
Petty kept one version of the song, which he titled “Walls (No. 3)”, quite simple. But he beefed up the arrangement for “Walls (Circus)”. Not only did he get Buckingham to sing backing vocals on this version of the song, but he also let him arrange those vocals.
Buckingham took the assignment and ran with it. As the song builds, you can hear his vocals piping in from all different angles in support of Petty’s resolute lead. The effect was quite dazzling, turning a simple song into a kaleidoscopic affair.
Petty thought enough of this version of the song that he released it as the lead single from the soundtrack. It didn’t do much at the charts, however. In that respect, Stevie Nicks had bragging rights over her old Fleetwood Mac bandmate when it came to collaborating with Petty on hit material.
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