Learning to Fly (Tom Petty song)

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"Learning To Fly" is a popular track 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. It was used on the Chicago Bulls' 1991 NBA championship video and featured on the soundtrack of the 2005 film Elizabethtown, directed by Cameron Crowe^{[citation needed]}.

"Learning to Fly" was released as the first single of the Into the Great Wide Open album, and reached #28 on the US Billboard Chart.

Though the entire song is based on only four simple chords, (A minor, C, F, and G), it is considered to have a unique structure and sound, making it a top hit for Petty.

[edit] Inspiration

It has been confirmed through interviews with Tom Petty that he was spurred to write "Learning To Fly" when he saw an interview with a pilot on television^{[citation needed]}. The pilot mentioned that it was not hard to learn to fly, but coming down is fairly challenging. This does not necessarily mean that the song's meaning is about the actual act of flying, as the music video suggests the song is about growing up.

Tom Petty's music has been known for having drug innuendos. Though never confirmed by Petty, there has been speculation that the song is about using cocaine and trying to come down from the high.