This week marks the third and final installment of my intermittent Tom Petty series, taking us through his five most recent albums.
First up is his 1996 follow-up to Wildflowers, the soundtrack album for Ed Burns’ film She’s the One. This record was touted as not simply songs to accompany the film but a proper Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers album (sort of the way the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever was an official Stevie Wonder album).
And yes, that is probably the first time Tom Petty has been compared to Stevie Wonder.
Coming on the heels of arguably his best overall album, She’s the One felt more than a little lightweight. Padded with covers, song snippets and multiple version of some tracks, it lacks the vision and scope of Wildflowers, and the songwriting isn’t nearly as sharp.
When I first heard this album, today’s SOTD (‘Change the Locks’) stayed with me more than anything else on it. Years later I bought the album Essence by Lucinda Williams and the lyrical structure of one song, ‘I Envy the Wind,’ reminded me very much of this one. The songs sound nothing alike and have completely different themes, but the construction of the words felt familiar.
So I looked back and, sure enough, ‘Change the Locks’ turned out to be a Lucinda Williams cover. I later bought her classic self-titled album and got to know the original. I’ve always found it pretty neat that I was able to make that connection.
And you can’t come inside my house, and you can’t lie down on my couch
I changed the lock on my front door
I changed the number on my phone so you can’t call me up at home
And you can’t say those things to me that make me fall down on my knees
I changed the number on my phone
I changed the kind of car I drive so you can’t see me when I go by
And you can’t chase me up the street, and you can’t knock me off of my feet
I changed the kind of car I drive
I changed the kind of clothes I wear so you can’t see me anywhere
And you can’t spot me in a crowd, and you can’t call my name out loud
I changed the kind of clothes I wear
I changed the tracks underneath the train so you can’t find me again
And you can’t trace my path, and you can’t hear my laugh
I changed the tracks underneath the train
I changed the name of this town so you can’t follow me down
And you can’t touch me like before, and you can’t make me want you more
I changed the name of this town
I changed the lock on my front door, I changed the number on my phone
I changed the kind of car I drive, I changed the kind of clothes I wear
I changed the tracks underneath the train, I changed the name of this town
I changed the name of this town
I changed the name of this town
Meet Me In Montauk 
Good pickup—as soon as you mentioned Williams, I too immediately heard her style. Have you featured her version as a SOTD or perhaps I just heard it somewhere along the way?
And it’s cool that you would be drawn to this song before you even knew that Williams wrote it given your appreciation for her songwriting.
I’ve never featured this song on the blog, but maybe it’s shown up on satellite radio at some point.
I haven’t heard this song in years, but I immediately remember falling in love with it the first time I heard it (as I am once again falling in love right now!) Might have a lot in common (obviously 😉 with Lucinda Williams, but it also sounds an awful lot like quintessential Tom Petty.
Meanwhile, I’m wondering if the film was any good. I feel as though I saw it, or at least part of it, at some point, but very little is coming back. Petty deserved to have a bigger audience for his soundtrack.