"Learning to Fly" is a song by American rock band

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer S ...

. It was written in 1991 by

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...

and his writing partner

Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock music, rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, h ...

for the band's eighth studio album, '' Into the Great Wide Open'' (1991). The entire song is based on four simple

chords Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord (as ...

, (F, C, A minor, and G). It became a top hit for Petty and the Heartbreakers, topping the US Album Rock Tracks chart and peaking at number 28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Release

"Learning to Fly" was released as the first single from '' Into the Great Wide Open'' and reached number 28 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It also became his most successful single on the ''Billboard'' Album Rock Tracks chart, reaching the top of the chart and remaining at the summit for six weeks. The song was released in the United Kingdom on June 17, 1991, debuting at number 65 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

six days later. It rose to its peak of number 46 the following week and stayed on the UK chart for two more weeks before leaving the top 75. The song was played and was a headline for an

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

home video documentary of the 1990–91 Chicago Bulls season.

Track listing

7-inch vinyl :A. "Learning to Fly" :B. "Too Good to Be True"

Personnel

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers *

– lead vocals and backing vocals, acoustic guitar * Mike Campbell – double neck electric guitar and backing vocals *

Howie Epstein Howard Norman Epstein (July 21, 1955 – February 23, 2003) was an American musician best known as a bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Early life Epstein was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up in a musical household. His ...

– bass and backing vocals *

Stan Lynch Stanley Joseph "Stan" Lynch (born May 21, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for 18 years until his departure in 1994. Early years Lynch was born in ...

– drums and percussion *

Benmont Tench Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Early years Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin ...

– synthesizer Others *

– backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Cover version

Petty's

Traveling Wilburys The Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Originating from an idea discussed by Harrison and Lynne during the sessions for Harrison's 1987 album ...

bandmate

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

covered the song live in concert in

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populatio ...

on October 21, 2017, one day after what would have been Petty's 67th birthday. Critic Jack Whatley later cited the performance as one of the seven best covers of a Petty song.

References

{{Authority control Tom Petty songs 1991 singles 1991 songs Black-and-white music videos Jangle pop songs MCA Records singles Music videos directed by Julien Temple Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne Songs written by Jeff Lynne Songs written by Tom Petty