The second Tom Petty album on this countdown, Full Moon Fever, is a collection of pop hits that’s as much fun as you can have wearing headphones. I can’t even think about this album without smiling.

Full Moon Fever is packed with wonderful surprises, from the “little freak with the lunch pail purse” who populates ‘Zombie Zoo’ through the sweet lullaby of ‘Alright For Now’ to Petty’s acknowledgement that he’s been to Micanopy and his middle name is Earl in ‘A Mind With a Heart of its Own.’

And those are just the deep cuts.

As for the hits… who among us hasn’t sung along with the chorus of ‘Free Falllin” like Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, or felt for the dumped yuppie of ‘Yer So Bad’? And who hasn’t put the pedal to the metal when ‘Runnin’ Down a Dream’ poured out of our car stereo speakers?

One day I’ll have to do a theme week on great driving songs, and I’ll have to dig up an alternate version of today’s SOTD because this is one of the best ever. Petty hit on an opening guitar riff that propels the song like a muscle car on the open highway.

[Chorus:]
Yeah I’m runnin’ down a dream
It never would come to me
Workin’ on a mystery, goin’ wherever it leads
Runnin’ down a dream

I felt so good like anything was possible
I hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes
The last three days the rain was un-stoppable
It was always cold, no sunshine

[Chorus]

I rolled on as the sky grew dark
I put the pedal down to make some time
There’s something good waitin’ down this road
I’m pickin’ up whatever’s mine

[Chorus]