The Cinematic Meaning Behind Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Subtle Dig at the Industry, “Into the Great Wide Open”

Tom Petty was notoriously wary of the music industry. From courtroom battles with MCA Records to protest songs like “The Last DJ,” he regularly made a point of standing up to the deep-pocketed CEOs and radio conglomerates who threatened to rob music of its magic. He may have been one of the industry’s cash cows, but he certainly wasn’t its pawn. 

Petty was at the height of his success when Into the Great Wide Open hit stores in 1991. Full Moon Fever had arrived two years earlier, dominating the Billboard charts with seven Top 20 singles and three No. 1 hits. Despite that momentum, Petty couldn’t help thinking about his early years in Los Angeles. Back then, he was just another starry-eyed 20-something with a head full of songs, desperate for his big break. That kind of desperation can get you into trouble in Hollywood, and although Petty’s dreams of success did come true, that didn’t stop him from sympathizing with those whose careers fell short. 

“Into the Great Wide Open” tells the story of a Hollywood hopeful who, like Petty, moves to town in search of a record deal. The character’s name is Eddie, and the song begins with his arrival in Los Angeles. He visits a tattoo shop, gets inked, and falls in love with a tattooed girl. By the end of the first verse, they’ve moved in together. Eddie spends his evenings on the clock, checking IDs at a local nightclub, but he spends his afternoons with his girlfriend, strumming chords on her guitar. He’s new to the instrument, but the guy’s a natural. “The sky was the limit,” Petty sings, before a fanfare of Rickenbackers and 12-string acoustic guitars signal the arrival of the first chorus. 

That chorus packs an epic punch, with high-flying vocal harmonies that float over Mike Campbell’s guitar. It’s an anthemic, optimistic moment. When Petty calls Eddie “a rebel without a clue,” though, the lyric feels like more than a James Dean reference—it’s also a sign that Eddie is in for a rude awakening. 

The second verse unfolds like a movie montage. Eddie plays some shows, lands a booking agent, and makes a hit record. He buys a leather jacket that jingles whenever he walks into parties. He appears to be on the fast track to superstardom, but the momentum shifts during the verse’s final moments. “Their A&R man said, ‘I don’t hear a single,’” Petty sings with a sneer that’s almost audible, referencing the industry cliche of a record executive who, after paying for an album’s creation, deems it unsuitable for commercial release. We’re never told if Eddie’s material simply wasn’t any good, or if his label failed to give it a chance. All we know is that Eddie’s future is wide open once again, his prospects no more certain after the second verse’s completion than they were when the song began. 

Like many of Petty’s story-driven tunes, “Into the Great Wide Open” emphasizes broad strokes over granular details. We don’t know what happens to Eddie after his A&R rep pulls the plug. We’re simply given a handful of plot points—a jingling leather jacket, a young couple with matching tattoos, a roadie named Bart—and are encouraged to sketch our own ending. The “rebel without a clue” line feels particularly ominous, though, and it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Eddie winds up on top.

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“Into the Great Wide Open” was so cinematic that it inspired director Julien Temple to create one of the best music videos of the 1990s. Starring Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway, and Gabrielle Anwar, the six-and-a-half-minute video fills in the details that Petty’s lyrics purposely lack. We see Eddie become an ego-maniacal rock star with a drinking problem. We watch his songs drop off the charts. The clip ends with Eddie walking into the same tattoo shop he visited during his first day in Hollywood, only to find his future self behind the counter, his rock star dreams having given way to the 9-to-5 nightmare of a working stiff. The future can only remain wide open for so long. 

“Into the Great Wide Open” is equal parts cautionary tale, imaginative coming-of-age story, and tongue-in-cheek criticism of an industry that, at its worst, preys on its youngest creators. It’s Tom Petty at his peak, matching melody with narrative. Eddie might not have a clue, but he does have a great song about his shot at the brass ring. All rebels should be so lucky. 

Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Hampton Social @ Ross/Getty Images