Free Fallin' (Tom Petty cover)

i think this verison is way better

She's a good girl, loves her mama Loves Jesus and America too Shes a good girl, crazy bout Elvis Loves horses and her boyfriend too

She's innocent and pure. Note, she has a boyfriend. He's the bad boy who wants to be with her but feels he is not good enough.

It's a long day living in reseda There's a freeway runnin through the yard I'm a bad boy cause I don't even miss her I'm a bad boy for breakin her heart

He's had his chance, he broke her heart, he's saying what people say about him that he's a bad boy because he "don't even miss her", but that's not who he is, it's just what people say about him, and he does in fact miss her.

And I'm free, free fallin,fallin Yeah I'm free, free fallin,fallin

This is a contradiction. He is free in that he is no longer involved with her, he thinks he is free, but it is in his attempt at proving how free he is, that he proves how wrapped up he is in this girl. He's free, but he's "fallin" for her so he's not really free, it's a bit of an oxymoron.

All the vampires walkin through the valley - vampires are all the bad boys sucking the good girls blood, which is obviously a metaphor, to mean that they are stealing another life-important body part; their hearts. The image is that they are waiting to prey on the good girls. And obviously when the "vampires" are finished with them, they leave the good girls dead inside, numb, not quite alive.

They move west down ventura boulevard And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows - Now the bad boys "vampires" are waiting in the shadows ready to take advantage of the good girls hearts. And the good girls are home with broken hearts

And I'm free, free fallin,fallin Now I'm free, free fallin,fallin Free fallin, now I'm free fallin, now I'm Free fallin, now I'm free fallin, now I'm

I wanna glide down over mulholland I wanna write her name in the sky - He doesn't know how to express his love, he knows he has to do something big and dramatic to win her back. But he doesn't think it will make a difference. Really it's him with the broken heart. Wanna free fall out into nothin - He has somewhat accepted that there is nothing he can do, he can't control her and win her back, the only thing he can do is control his own fate and he is free fallin because he has nothing holding him back, no plans, no direction and the only thing he can do is let fate take control, although it's his choice, he can't decide how he lands. Gonna leave this world for a while

And I'm free, free fallin' Yeah I'm free, free fallin'

I think generally, it is a song about throwing yourself into life, knowing that you cannot control the direction the wind takes you in. The only choice you have is to jump.

I saw John play this song in concert a few days ago and i was awestruck. I don't know if I was just surprised to hear him play a song that I loved so much, or if it was just the simple guitar combined with his voice, but it almost brought me to tears. It is just beautiful.

This song is proof that John's voice has improved a LOT since the 'Inside Wants Out' days

I've loved Tom Petty's version for years but I gotta admit John really knows what he's doing. He took a long shot covering this song and wooow did he do it. I love that even if it's the same song, it sounds like a completely different one. He adds stuff of his own to the song, that's what covers are supposed to be like. Tom Petty sounds excited about falling for this person, while John sounds much calmer and excited but still sort of scared and anxious about it. It's so odd that an artist manages to cover a song and make it sound better than the original. Different, at least. I loved it.

I think in the song, he is trying to convince himself that he no longer loves the girl as he has managed to get away... but eventually he has too much on his mind and realises that infact after going through all the memorys of the girl, he does miss her as he 'wants to write her name in the sky' so she can and never will be forgotten.

The reapeating lines of the chorus reflect the mixed emotions running through his mind and how much he doesnt want to fall, but his heart is 'free fallin'

Love the song so much, sing and listen to it non stop! Wonderful cover

This song, as much as I love it, confuses me slightly. I initially thought it was about falling in love, when I didn't pay attention to the verse lyrics and was listening mainly to the light melody and his tone of voice. But after I listened more closely to the lyrics, I realised it might be about him leaving his girlfriend. He's a bad boy, very different from her, and they just ended their relationship and that's why he's feeling so free. But then...that still doesn't exactly make sense when you take into consideration the line 'I wanna write her name in the sky'. So I'm not sure what story these lyrics actually convey. (It might be about drugs, I suppose that's an option...) But apart from the lyrics, the music and general feel of this whole song is just one of exuberance. I love how John Mayer's voice glides over the melody. He's quite the musician, that's for sure. =)

this is a brilliant cover...thanks, john, for erasing the image in my mind of tom cruise screaming this at the top of his longs.

i like this better than the original version

i'm with richie, john mayer is absoultly amazing.