Tom petty Considered ”Southern Accents” Among His Greatest Compositions
LOS ANGELES, CA - Late musician tom Petty believed his 1985 song “Southern Accents” to be “probably one of my best two or three things that I ever wrote,” according to a recent article published by faroutmagazine.co.uk. While known for a songwriting process often driven by instinct and stream of consciousness, Petty approached “Southern Accents” with a pre-conceived thematic idea.
Petty initially envisioned an album centered around Southern themes and music,leading to the creation of the album Southern Accents in 1985. Despite spending much of his career in California, Petty was originally from Gainesville, Florida, and the album represented a return to his roots.
He recalled writing the song late at night, between four and five in the morning, at the piano. Petty described being “extremely glad” when he reached the bridge of the song, so much so that he woke his wife to share the moment with her as it was being written.
“I do have a vague memory of being extremely glad when I hit the bridge. I actually woke up my wife and made her listen to this song,” Petty explained. He further stated the song felt ”very personal” and that it “just took me over.”
While Petty often allowed songs to flow from him almost impulsively – famously completing “Wildflowers” in just three and a half minutes and barely recognizing it as good until finished – “Southern Accents” benefitted from a starting point: the title itself. He generally trusted his instincts, often running with the first idea that came to mind, but acknowledged the occasional need for a guiding framework.
