Realizing it was 30 years ago that I started playing guitar and how Tom Petty’s music served as a major influence on my songwriting style, I easily threw together a song about it.

I am very proud of how this song turned out. Sometimes, it takes a couple of months for a song to come together. In this case, I wrote it and recorded in a matter of just a couple of days:

In the spring of ’94, I turned thirteen – I was practicing guitar chords while trying to sing – The best eleven dollars I had ever spent was a cassette tape of Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits – I was learning to fly into the great wide open – I was free fallin’, runnin’ down a dream – Oh my my, even the losers believe you don’t have to live like a refugee – That’s what Tom Petty taught me – Well it’s good to be king when you’re only thirteen thinking, “You don’t know how it feels to be me”- I grew up tall and I grew up right – Now it’s time to move on – Yeah, it’s wake up time – I’m gonna listen to my heart – No, I won’t back down – I’ve got a room at the top of the world right now – I’m still learning to fly into the great wide open – I’m still free fallin’, runnin’ down a dream – Oh my my, even the losers believe you don’t have to live like a refugee – That’s what Tom Petty taught me