He spends the second verse assuring the girl that, despite his disappointment, he understands why they couldn’t be together in the long run, though he doesn’t reveal exactly what that reasoning is. As he sings “linger on in my head forever,” it sounds as if his voice will break at any time. The sobering brevity of the situation adds extra poignancy to the fervor of Tom Petty’s vocals. The next line, however, tells the sad reality of the courtship: “Baby, those few hours linger on in my head forever.” This was something so strong and affecting, and it was gone in just a few hours. His recollection is beautifully forthright and romantic, and up until this point, it appears to be a testament to the “true love conquers all” adage. When you finally held/kissed me, I will never regret I knew right away I’d never get over how good it felt Told me right away that you were gonna have to be mineĪnd the strangest feeling came over me down inside

It’s unknown if the song’s title is a reference to The Wild One, László Benedek’s 1953 film starring Marlon Brando, but Petty aptly opens the song with a very film-esque description: “The moon sank as the wind blew, and the streetlights slowly died.” It’s in this approaching morning that he introduces the eponymous wild one, a girl that he was warned to “stay away from she could love no one if she tried.” Of course, he’s not going to have any of it in another fantastic and passionate early vocal performance, Petty describes why he didn’t heed the warning: “The Wild One, Forever” was his first, and it is simultaneously one of his greatest love songs and one of his most heartbreaking. Tom Petty has written his fair share of songs about mysterious women: “Magnolia,” “Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid)” and “A Thing About You” are just a few notable ones.

Tom petty lyrics shadow of a doubt