Clear Channel Memo Songs: Free Fallin’

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Happy new week! Gee, wonder what trouble I can get into this week? I know part of the things I’ll be doing include giving you another song from my favorites on the list of songs that Clear Channel Communications asked their stations not to play after 9/11. And what do you know, I sort of get this one, too. Free Fallin’ - Tom Petty To me, it’s the single most disturbing image of the terrorist attacks: people jumping to their deaths from the upper floors of the World Trade Center as the fire raged. I certainly don’t associate this song about “a bad boy for breaking her heart” in Los Angeles with that, but I can understand why the title might have conjured memories of that in the aftermath of 9/11. Of course, the song was a big hit long before that horrible day. In fact, it was Petty’s biggest single in terms of chart success. Even today, nearly six years after Petty’s death (wow, has it been six years already? ), it nears or tops polls as his “best” song. That’s subjective (my personal favorite Petty song is “Louisiana Rain”), but yep, it’s a great tune. Free Fallin’ Written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne Recorded by Tom Petty From Full Moon Fever, 1989 All the vampires walking through the Valley: