Love Is a Long Road (song)

"Love Is a Long Road"
Song by Tom Petty
from the album Full Moon Fever
A-side	"Free Fallin'" (UK)
Released	1989 (1989)
Recorded	1987–1988
Genre	Rock[1][2] power pop[3]
Length	4:07
Label	MCA
Songwriter(s)	Tom Petty Mike Campbell
Producer(s)	Tom Petty Jeff Lynne Mike Campbell

"Love Is a Long Road" is a song by Tom Petty from his 1989 first solo album Full Moon Fever. Although only released as the B-side to "Free Fallin'" in the UK, and not released as a stand-alone single, it received a fair amount of radio airplay. In the U.S., it peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.[4][5]

Background

The rock song was co-written by guitarist Mike Campbell, who was inspired by a motorcycle he owned. The musician told "I was really into that frame of mind. This feels like a motorcycle shifting gears."[2] "Love Is a Long Road" appears on the 2000 double-disc compilation album Anthology: Through the Years, as well as on the 1995 box set Playback.[1]

Critical reception

Another one of Petty's late-1980s songs which looks back at a fractured romance, AllMusic describes the song as sounding like a stripped-down version of the Who's classics "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", and one of the most powerful rockers on the album.[1][2] Rolling Stone ranked the song at No. 38 in a list of Petty's 50 greatest songs.[2]

Media usage

In 2023, the song was used in the first trailer for the video game Grand Theft Auto VI.[6] It led to a 36,979% increase in streams on Spotify, skyrocketing from less than 5 million to nearly 40 million streams within a span of a few months.[7][8]

Charts

1989 chart performance for "Love Is a Long Road"

Chart (1989)	Peak position
US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[9]	7

2023 chart performance for "Love Is a Long Road"

Chart (2023)	Peak position
US Rock Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[10]	7

References

1. "Love Is a Long Road by Tom Petty - Track Info". AllMusic.
2. Weingarten, Christopher R.; Dolan, Jon; Cummings, Corinne; Murray, Nick; Grow, Kory; Greene, Andy; Hermes, Will; Sheffield, Rob (November 28, 2020). "Tom Petty's 50 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone.
3. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2001). All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music. Backbeat Books/All Media Guide. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-87930-627-4.
4. "Tom Petty Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". musicvf.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
5. Rutherford, Kevin (October 3, 2017). "All of Tom Petty's Record 28 Mainstream Rock Songs Top 10s". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
6. Myers, Maddy (December 4, 2023). "Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer brings back a 1989 Tom Petty song". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
7. Dinsdale, Ryan (December 6, 2023). "GTA 6 Trailer Has Already Surpassed Grand Theft Auto 5's Reveal With More Than 100 Million Views". IGN. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
8. Wolen, Joshua (December 6, 2023). "Spotify registers ridiculous increase in Tom Petty streams as GTA 6 trailer drives everyone dad rock mad". PC Gamer. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
9. "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Chart History: Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
10. "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Chart History: Rock Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2023.