10 Perfect Rock Songs On Terrible Albums

Towards the end of the '80s, Tom Petty seemed to be burnt the hell out. After his vision for a double album with Southern Accents collapsed on itself after people got too hopped up on drugs, Let Me Up I've Had Enough lived up to its title by sounding like it was made out of necessity. Though Tom has been quick to call this record a failure, he did have some gas left in the tank for one amazing song.

While most of the album has a glossy '80s production that doesn't hold up so well, Runaway Trains is the kind of lonesome ballad that works just as well if it were being played on just an acoustic guitar. Opening up with the sound of plucked harmonics, Petty paints a picture of a love gone sour, as if these two people are just slipping away from each other.

The pain here isn't angry though, with Tom just wishing his old flame peace and just chalking it up to time taking its toll on the relationship. Coming from a man based in heartland rock, this feels like Tom was trying to recapture the magic that he was seeing with people like Don Henley at the time. If it hadn't been buried on this album, we may be talking about this song as one of his all time best.