"Learning To Fly" is a song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was written in 1991 by Tom Petty and his writing partner Jeff Lynne for the album Into the Great Wide Open. The entire song is based on only four simple chords, (F, C, A minor, and G). It became a top hit for Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Track listing
Tom Petty - Learning To Fly - Music video by Tom Petty performing Learning To Fly. (C) 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
7" vinyl
- Side A: "Learning to Fly"
- Side B: "Too Good To Be True"
Musicians
- Tom Petty â€" acoustic guitar, vocals
- Mike Campbell â€" acoustic guitar, lead guitar, slide guitar
- Howie Epstein â€" backing vocals
- Stan Lynch â€" drums, percussion
- Jeff Lynne â€" guitar, synthesizer, electric piano, bass, backing vocals
Chart history
"Learning to Fly" was released as the first single from Into the Great Wide Open and reached #28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also became his most successful single on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, reaching the top of the chart and remaining at the summit for six weeks. "Learning to Fly" earliest charting was in the United Kingdom, debuting at #65 on June 29. The next week it rose to #46, and stayed on the UK chart for two more weeks before slipping off entirely.
Cover versions
Bob Dylan covered "Learning to Fly" at his October 21, 2017, concert in Denver, Colorado.
Bonnie Tyler released "Learning to Fly" as a single from her 2003 album Heart Strings. The single gained no chart success.
Lady Antebellum covered "Learning to Fly" on their 2010 digital iTunes Sessions EP.
The Weepies covered the song on their 2015 record Sirens.
In popular culture
- "Learning to Fly" was used on the Chicago Bulls' 1991 NBA championship video and featured on the soundtrack of the 2005 film Elizabethtown.
- It is also the official song of the United States Air Force Academy skydiving team, Wings of Blue.