10 Best Non-Rock Songs By Rock Artists

Rock had started to return to its roots after the mid '70s. After the pretentiousness of the early part of the decade gave way to the punk explosion, there were groups popping up from the heartland that were making songs that felt much more worn-down than the celebratory songs in the mainstream. Tom Petty may have been a fixture in this scene, but Louisiana Rain deepened those rock roots even further.

As opposed to rock's origins in blues and R&B, this song was pretty much a straight-up country song, with Petty telling the story of a weary traveler riding across the country to see where his life takes him. Even when the foul weather of Louisiana soaks through his shoes, our hero still has to admire the colorful characters he comes across, be it the stars out in California or the English refugee singing at the jukebox.

Given the amount of raw emotion in Petty's delivery on this tune, it makes sense that he would later go on to play with Johnny Cash in the '90s as part of his country resurgence. Despite Petty's Southern heritage, Louisiana Rain was the first time we got to see our favorite Heartbreaker paying tribute to his old stomping grounds.