https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfS6Nl962Qg In 1986, Tom Petty took a step into an area where few rock musicians trod: film composing. Petty wrote the score for the flick She's The One, not only writing all the instrumental music but also recording several songs with the Heartbreakers. The soundtrack didn't produce many singles, but it did produce one - "Walls (Circus)" - one of the most emotional and thoughtful songs in the group's repertoire. Unfortunately, few saw the song's brilliance on its initial release; the song stalled at no. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Fortunately, however, the song is experiencing a rebirth (due largely to Tom Hanks' film Larry Crowne). The meaning of the tune is subject to dispute, but it feels like it's about a guy who's lost his girlfriend; a loss which seems to have been his fault, and he recognizes that, and he's setting out to gain his former girl's forgiveness and respect. The girl, however, has erected so many emotional "walls" that it's hard for the guy to make any headway. The song has essentially been written as a last-ditch appeal, in which the guy begs his former girl to tear down those walls and let him back into her heart. Petty and the Heartbreakers have recorded flashier songs, and they've recorded catchier tunes, but they've never produced a more tender song than "Walls." The song holds a special place in the band's history, and it's time that it gets more respect.
Alan Howell is a native of Southern California. He loves movies of any and all kinds, Hollywood, indie, and everywhere in between. He loves pizza, sitcoms, rock and pop music, surfing, baseball, reading, and girls (not necessarily in that order).