The Tom Petty ‘Wildflowers’-Era Song Rod Stewart Was Hesistant to Record, “Leave Virginia Alone”

Tom Petty originally wrote “Leave Virginia Alone” in January 1993 for his 1994 album Wildflowers. Eventually, the song didn’t make the cut and was sent it to Rod Stewart, who featured it on his 1995 album A Spanner in the Works.

“It was for Tom Petty’s album, and he took it off because it was too close lyrically to something that was a hit beforehand, and his managers couldn’t persuade him to put it on the album,” recalled Stewart in 1995. “So, his manager, who’s a friend of my manager said, ‘Would Rod listen to the song?’”

A Spanner in the Works was already mastered and ready to go when Petty’s song showed up.At first, Stewart didn’t connect to Petty’s song and that it “absolutely went by me” and he had to listen to it a few times. “I had to be persuaded to do it, in other words,” revealed Stewart. “But now I’m glad I did.”

Stewart later revealed that he wasn’t even a Petty fan. “I must admit, no, I’m not,” said Stewart. “I don’t mean that to sound disparaging. He’s [Petty] a very good performer, though.”

“Leave Virginia Alone” became the lead single from A Spanner in the Works, which also included covers of Bob Dylan‘s “Sweetheart Like You,” Tom Waits‘ “Hang On St. Christopher,” and “Soothe Me” by Sam Cooke. Stewart debuted “Leave Virginia Alone” on the season 20 finale of Saturday Night Live on May 13, 1995.

[RELATED: The Most Difficult Song Tom Petty Had to Write That “Went on for Weeks”]

‘She’s Not Like You’

Even though Petty had recorded “Leave Virginia Alone’ during his Wildflowers sessions, Stewart reworked it once it was in his hands, telling the story of a girl living on the edge, trying to find refuge from the spotlight.

Well they chased her
Down the ally
And over the hill
To steal her will

She was hot as
Georgia Asphalt
When the A-crowd came
To adore her brains

So leave Virginia alone
Leave Virginia alone
She’s not like you
And me
She’s not like you
And me

You should’ve seen her
Back in the city
Poetry and jewels
Broke all the rules

She was high as
The Georgia pine tree
Makeup and pills
Overdue bills

Stewart’s version of “Leave Virginia Alone” went to No. 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at No. 34 on Billboard Hot 100.

‘All the Rest’

Petty’s version of “Leave Virginia Alone” was eventually released as a single three years after his death on the expanded Wildflowers & All the Rest in 2020. Petty’s daughter Adria co-directed the music video with Mark Seliger, starring Casimere Jollette from the Netflix series Tiny Pretty Things as Virginia.

Wildflowers & All the Rest, curated by his wife Dana, daughters Adria and Annakim, and Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, featured five previously unreleased songs from Petty’s original Wildflowers sessions.

“If the ‘Wizard Of Oz’ had another reel or if ‘Let It Be’ had another album you’d be like, ‘Woah! To me, that’s what ‘Wildflowers & All The Rest’ is, and that’s why it’s so important for us to get it right because it’s a little gem in the archive,” said Adria, who said she was listening to her father’s lyrics more in 2020.

“There’s a lot of joy in listening to this particular era of the music for me,” she added. “It touches my soul. It touches my heart and makes me feel good. It’s not the kind of stuff that makes you really think necessarily about the live shows or the hit-run of Dad’s catalog but it’s a little bit more of a pure experience.” 

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images