''Runnin' Down a Dream'' is a 2007 documentary film about
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976. The band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer ...
, directed by
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. He started out his career as a young actor studying under Stella Adler before working as a film critic for ''Fi ...
. The 4-hour documentary chronicles the history of the band, from its inception as
Mudcrutch, right up to the 30th-anniversary concert in Petty's home town of
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...
, on September 21, 2006, at the
Stephen C. O'Connell Center,
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
. The film features interviews with
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
,
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He was previously a gues ...
,
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...
,
Dave Grohl
David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...
,
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the co-founder and, latterly, sole member of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) which was formed in 1970. He has written all of ...
,
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records.
Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...
,
Johnny Depp
John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...
,
Jackson Browne
Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States.
Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...
and more. Petty's solo career is also touched on, as is his time with
the Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1988, consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. They were a roots rock band and described as "perhaps the biggest supergr ...
.
The film was commercially released as part of a four-disc box set. The film spanned the first two discs, while the 30th anniversary concert and a CD of rare tracks were the components of the remaining two discs. On October 28, 2008, a two-disc version set of the film, featuring previously unreleased bonus performances, but not the Gainesville concert or audio CD, was released to the public. ''Runnin' Down a Dream'' was released on
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of ...
on November 15, 2010.
DVD track listing
Disc 1
"Main Feature DVD (Part 1)"
#Gainesville 2006
#Elvis
#What's in a Name
#Mike
#Benmont
#B.Y.O.F. (Build Your Own Festival)
#Fast Forward
#Deals
#A Broken Bond
#Ron & Stan
#Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
#Third
#Fuel
#Howie
#Poet
Disc 2
"Main Feature DVD (Part 2)"
#Bob Dylan
#Strange Coincidences
#Scott
#The Bottom Line
#Steve
#John
#Round Trip
#Rock & Roll Heaven
#Runnin' Down a Dream (End credits)
Disc 3
"One 30th Anniversary Concert DVD"
#"
Listen to Her Heart
"Listen to Her Heart" is a song recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in August 1978 as the second single from their second album, '' You're Gonna Get It!''. It peaked at number 59 on the ''Billboard'' ...
" (Tom Petty)
#"
Mary Jane's Last Dance
"Mary Jane's Last Dance" is a song written by Tom Petty and recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was recorded while Petty was recording his ''Wildflowers'' album and was produced by Rick Rubin, guitarist Mike Campb ...
" (Tom Petty)
#"
I Won't Back Down
"I Won't Back Down" is a song by American rock musician Tom Petty. It was released in April 1989 as the lead single from his first solo album, '' Full Moon Fever''. The song was co-written by Petty and Jeff Lynne, his writing partner for the alb ...
" (Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne)
#"
Free Fallin'
"Free Fallin" is the opening track from American musician Tom Petty's debut solo album, '' Full Moon Fever'' (1989). The song was written by Petty and his writing partner for the album, Jeff Lynne, and features Lynne on backing vocals and bass g ...
" (Tom Petty,
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the co-founder and, latterly, sole member of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) which was formed in 1970. He has written all of ...
)
#"
Saving Grace" (Tom Petty)
#"
I'm a Man" (
Ellas McDaniel
Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...
, Koko Taylor)
#"
Oh Well" (
Peter Green)
#"
Handle with Care" (
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
,
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
, Jeff Lynne,
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...
, Tom Petty)
#"
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" is a song recorded by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and released as the first single from Nicks' debut solo album '' Bella Donna'' (1981). The track is the album's only song that was neither wri ...
" (with
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...
) (Tom Petty, Mike Campbell)
#"
I Need to Know" (with Stevie Nicks) (Tom Petty)
#"It's Good to Be King" (Tom Petty)
#"Down South" (Tom Petty)
#"
Southern Accents
''Southern Accents'' is the sixth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on March 26, 1985, through MCA Records. The album's lead single, " Don't Come Around Here No More", co-written by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, peaked ...
" (Tom Petty)
#"Insider" (with Stevie Nicks) (Tom Petty)
#"
Learning to Fly" (Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne)
#"
Don't Come Around Here No More
"Don't Come Around Here No More" is a song written by Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. It was released in February 1985 as the lead single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' ''Southern Accents'' albu ...
" (Tom Petty, Dave Stewart)
#"
Runnin' Down a Dream" (Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Mike Campbell)
#"
You Wreck Me" (Tom Petty, Mike Campbell)
#"
Mystic Eyes
"Mystic Eyes" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison when he was leader of the band Them. It was the opening tune for the band's first album, ''The Angry Young Them'' that was released in June 1965. It was released a ...
" (
Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...
)
#"
American Girl
American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old girls of various ethnicities, faiths, nationalities, and social classes throughout different time periods ...
" (Tom Petty)
Disc 4
"Bonus Soundtrack CD"
#"Breakdown" (Tom Petty) – Rehearsal 1977, Los Angeles, CA
#"Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll" (Tom Petty) – ''Top Of The Pops'', UK, June 16, 1977
#"Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)" (Tom Petty) – ''Old Grey Whistle Test'', UK, June 20, 1978
#"American Girl" (Tom Petty) – ''Fridays'', June 6, 1980
#"Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid)" (Tom Petty) – ''Fridays'', June 6, 1980
#"Stories We Could Tell" (John Sebastian) – Recorded at the Record Plant, Hollywood, CA, 1982
#"Keeping Me Alive" (Tom Petty) – Recorded at the Record Plant, Hollywood, CA, 1982
#"Honey Bee" (Tom Petty) – ''Saturday Night Live'', November 19, 1994
#"Lost Highway" (Leon Payne) – Rehearsal at CenterStaging, Burbank, CA, May 19, 2006
Reception
The film received mostly positive feedback from
film critics
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish their findin ...
. The review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
reports that 100% of critics gave the film a positive review based on five reviews, with an average score of 8.1/10.
Nick Schager of ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' reviewed the documentary saying, "Employs a warm and leisurely, though never sluggish, pace that's upfront about Bogdanovich's intention to take his sweet time tackling every topic of relevant interest."
Ronnie Schreib of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', reviewed it saying: "A feast for Petty fans and a joyous confirmation of the vitality of the collective creative process we." Dan Lybarger, of eFilmCritic.com, said: "Peter Bogdanovich's new documentary about the life and career of Florida-born rocker Tom Petty runs nearly four hours and never fails to engage or entertain."
Accolades
The film won a Grammy for Best Music Film.
Personnel
*
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...
– vocals, guitar, percussion (on Disc 3, track 6)
*
Mike Campbell – guitar
*
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 M ...
–
keyboards, backing vocals
*
Ron Blair
Ronald Edward Blair (born September 16, 1948) is an American musician notable for being the bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He was originally the band's bassist from 1976 to 1981. In 2002, he returned to the group after a 20-year hi ...
– bass, backing vocals (on Disc 3, and Disc 4, tracks 1–5 & 9)
*
Scott Thurston
Scott Troy Thurston (born January 10, 1952) is an American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and session musician. He was a member of the Stooges, and of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in which he sang harmony vocals and played guitar, keyboa ...
– guitar,
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
,
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...
, vocals (on Disc 3, and Disc 4, tracks 8 & 9)
*
Steve Ferrone
Stephen A. Ferrone (born 25 April 1950) is an English drummer. He is known as a member of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1994 to 2017, replacing original drummer Stan Lynch, and as part of the "classic lineup" of the Aver ...
– drums,
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
(on Disc 3, and Disc 4, track 9)
*
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...
– vocals,
tambourine
The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...
on "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around", "I Need to Know", "Insider", "Learning to Fly", "Don't Come Around Here No More" and "American Girl" (on Disc 3)
*
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. He grew up in a musical household. Epste ...
– bass, backing vocals (on Disc 4, tracks 6–8)
*
Stan Lynch
Stanley Joseph 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 Cincinn ...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals (on Disc 4, tracks 1–7)
*Phil Jones – percussion (on Disc 4, tracks 6 & 7)
*
Dave Grohl
David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...
– drums (on Disc 4, track 8)
References
External links
MSN Movies*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Runnin' Down A Dream (Film)
2007 films
Films directed by Peter Bogdanovich
Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video
Rockumentaries
Tom Petty live albums
2007 live albums
2000s live video albums
Tom Petty video albums
2000s English-language films