The 10 Best Uses Of Tom Petty Songs In Movies & TV

From “Free Fallin’” to “I Won’t Back Down,” Tom Petty made a name for himself as one of the most renowned musicians of all time. Although he was best known as the lead singer and guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Petty did plenty of work as a solo artist, had previously fronted the band Mudcrutch, and joined the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys in the 1980s. All in all, Petty has sold a whopping 80 million records worldwide.

In addition to making cameos as himself in shows like The Simpsons and The Larry Sanders Show, Petty has appeared on-screen in various movies and TV series through the use of his licensed music.

10 “Christmas All Over Again” In Jingle All The Way

A popular Christmas song is a gift that keeps on giving because artists behind a Christmas song receive royalties every holiday season when that song is played on the radio — and licensed for Christmas-themed movies.

The Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring Christmas comedy Jingle All the Way, about a father trying to secure the perfect toy to give to his son, features Tom Petty’s holiday hit “Christmas All Over Again.”

9 “Free Fallin’” In The Sopranos

There are a number of dream sequences in HBO’s mob drama The Sopranos, with a few fan theories about the entire show taking place in Tony’s mind.

In the show’s second season, Tony dreams of having Chinese food around the kitchen table with his family, only to wake up and realize he’s in the back of a truck while Tom Petty’s career-defining hit “Free Fallin’” plays in the background.

8 “Cheer Down” In Lethal Weapon 2

After the success of the first Lethal Weapon movie, a number of hit musicians offered to contribute to the soundtrack of the sequel. Eric Clapton covered “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” to play over the emotionally charged final scene as Murtaugh cradles a dying Riggs and their backup finally arrives.

George Harrison contributed his own song to the Lethal Weapon 2 soundtrack, “Cheer Down,” which he co-wrote with Tom Petty and co-produced with fellow Wilbury Jeff Lynne.

7 “Runnin’ Down A Dream” In Family Guy

When Brian pretends to be a runner to score a date with an attractive fitness enthusiast in an episode of Family Guy, she suggests running to the date and, since he doesn’t actually run, he struggles to keep up with her.

She insists that the runner’s high will kick in and make it easier. At the top of a tall hill, Brian’s runner’s high finally kicks in, set to Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream.”

6 “Wildflowers” In Parks And Recreation

In the sixth season of Parks and Recreation, Ann and Chris decided to leave Pawnee and move to Michigan to raise their baby. In Rashida Jones and Rob Lowe’s last episode as regulars (although they came back in the series finale), as Ann and Chris leave for Michigan, Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” plays on the soundtrack.

The show also utilized the Heartbreakers’ “American Girl” in the season 3 episode “Harvest Festival.” It plays over a montage of Pawnee residents enjoying the festival.

5 “The Best Of Everything” In The King Of Comedy

When music supervisor Robbie Richardson was seeking music for Martin Scorsese’s satirical dark comedy The King of Comedy, Tom Petty had decided “The Best of Everything” wasn’t going to make the cut on his latest album and donated the song to Richardson to include in the movie.

Richardson tweaked the mix a little, adding some brass. The movie itself remains an underrated gem, even after Joker ripped it off.

4 “American Girl” In The Silence Of The Lambs

Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs is one of the greatest thrillers ever made, and the only horror movie to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

During the scene in which the U.S. Senator’s daughter Catherine Martin unwittingly drives to the spot where Buffalo Bill will abduct her, she idly sings along to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1976 hit “American Girl.”

3 “Here Comes My Girl” In The Office

Obviously, Mike Schur is a big Tom Petty fan. In addition to including a couple of Petty songs throughout the seven-season run of Parks and Rec, Schur played a Petty track in the acclaimed series finale of The Office.

In the finale, after spending nine seasons as one of TV’s most iconic couples, Jim and Pam dance together to Petty’s “Here Comes My Girl” at Dwight and Angela’s wedding reception.

2 “Free Fallin’” In Jerry Maguire

Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire stars Tom Cruise as a down-on-his-luck sports agent who leaves his company to branch off on his own. In one scene, he cycles through radio stations while he’s psyched about a big deal to find a song to sing along to.

He skips past a lot of awesome tracks — including one by the Rolling Stones — before settling on Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” and singing along to that. Crowe later used Petty’s “Square One” in Elizabethtown.

1 “Tom Petty’s Semi-Mindless, Semi-Generic, But Still Meaningful And Heartfelt Rock Song” In The Simpsons

In The Simpsons episode “How I Spent My Strummer Vacation,” Homer attends star-studded rock ‘n’ roll camp run by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, where Tom Petty teaches a lyrics workshop. His attempts to teach Homer and the other campers how to lace generic rock lyrics with meaningful political messages are met with boos. He performs a song that is, according to Wikisimpsons, titled “Tom Petty’s Semi-Mindless, Semi-Generic, But Still Meaningful and Heartfelt Rock Song.”

The lyrics go as follows: “See that drunk girl speedin’ down the street? / She’s worried ‘bout the state of public schools / She likes to party, she likes to rock / She prays that our schools don’t run of chalk!” Homer and Petty’s other students cheer for the lyrics reusing tired rock ‘n’ roll buzzwords but boo the lyrics calling attention to the problems with the education system.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
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Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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