1989 Rock Album Ranked Among ‘Greatest' of All Time Turns 37 Years Old Today
37 years ago today, on April 24, 1989, Tom Petty released his debut solo album, Full Moon Fever. By the time he had ventured into solo work for this particular collection, the Gainesville, Florida native had already experienced success throughout the ‘80s, charting with songs like "American Girl," "Refugee," "Don't Do Me Like That" while backed by his longtime band, The Heartbreakers.
Full Moon Fever found Petty stepping outside of his norm, working alongside producer and Traveling Wilburys member Jeff Lynne and The Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell for the majority of the album's song lyrics. Notably, additional Traveling Wilbury members, Roy Orbison and George Harrison, lent their expertise to the project. Meanwhile, The Heartbreakers weren't excluded from contributing to the record - in fact, they did add their instruments to the songs - all except for drummer, Stan Lynch, who didn't participate on his own accord.
Petty Revealed Why He Chose to Make a Solo Album
"I've always wanted the freedom to do something like that," the late Petty once said of making the solo album, in an interview that has been shared on YouTube. "I have no intention of leaving The Heartbreakers. They might have had some intention of leaving me, but I had no intention of leaving ... .After 13 years, you kinda like to do other things and get other influences from different people."
Low-key was the overall take on making the album during the Full Moon Fever recording sessions, with tracking taking place inside Campbell's built-in studio in his garage. Featuring 12 tracks, the project includes five singles. They are "Free Fallin'," "I Won't Back Down," "Runnin' Down a Dream," "A Face in the Crowd," and "Yer So Bad." The first three of those five songs were hits, landing at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart and making it into the Top 40 on the BillboardHot 100 chart.
The Album's Success
Following its debut, Full Moon Fever was a major commercial success, reaching the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200. The 5X Platinum-certified collection went on to become a ‘Greatest' Album of all Time, according to Rolling Stone's 2020 top 500 list, where it ranked at No. 298, as well as a 100 best ‘Albums of the 1980s' by the same publication. Additionally, Full Moon Fever was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Full Moon Fever, which provided a turning point in Petty's career, solidifying him as a rock icon, is the follow-up to his Heartbreakers 1987 platinum-certified album, Let Me Up (I've Had Enough).
Related: 1989 Power Ballad Named the Longest No. 1 Hit Became an Anthem of Unconditional Love
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 9:00 PM.