In 1981, Stevie Nicksand Tom Petty had massive success with the duet “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.” The song, penned by Petty and his Heartbreakers bandmate Mike Campbell, appeared on Nicks’ 1981 debut solo album, Bella Donna. It featured the two rock stars trading lines and singing an incredible chorus together, with Petty’s band providing instrumental backing. With so much star power, it’s no wonder the song became a smash.
While Nicks previously had a No. 1 hit with Fleetwood Mac (“Dreams” in 1977), “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” paved the way for her solo success. The duet became her highest-charting solo song ever, hitting No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100 on Sept. 5. 1981, and remaining there for six weeks. The song also became Petty’s and the Heartbreakers’ biggest hit of all time.
Ultimate Classic Rock ranked “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” as one of the greatest rock duets of all time. Nicks was quoted as saying she was “completely entranced” when she first heard Petty’s song and “instantly fell into love” with it. “Duets were the things I loved the most,” the legendary songstress added. “And we would sing like no one else, and nobody else would ever sing like us."
Petty once revealed that Nicks had asked him to write her a song. He initially wrote the song “Insider” for her, but decided to keep it for the Heartbreakers. Record producer Jimmy Iovine stepped in to pull another song Petty that his band had already been working on.
In an interview with Classic Rock, Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench once recalled, “We’d already cut [‘Stop Draggin’] as a Heartbreakers song, with Tom singing the whole thing. At the same time, Jimmy Iovine was dating Stevie, though he was keeping it clandestine. And I think Jimmy thought the song could be a hit for her.”
“Stop Draggin’ Me Heart Around” was released about a week after the release of the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers single “A Woman in Love,” the opening track from the band's 1981 album Hard Promises. The timing of the competing songs seemingly annoyed the Heartbreakers.
“Why couldn’t 'Insider' and 'Stop Draggin’' have been on both Hard Promises and Bella Donna?” Tench said. “I guess back then, that’s not the way it worked. I wish the song was more recognized as Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks. But they sang so great together.”
RELATED: 1978’s Biggest No. 1 Hit Song Was Written in Ten Minutes
Stevie Nicks credited Petty for helping to launch her solo career
Nicks has said she never aspired to become a solo artist. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she admitted, “I never wanted a solo career — I always wanted to be just in a band. But I just had so many songs! Because when you’re in a band with three prolific writers, you get two or three songs per album — maybe four. But I was writing all the time.”
While Bella Donna featured 10 tracks, almost all written by Nicks, it was the Petty-penned duet that launched her career as a solo artist.
“He gave me ‘Stop Dragging My Heart Around,’”Nicks said of Petty. “Had he not given me that song, let me candidly tell you, Bella Donna might not have been a hit. That song kicked Bella Donna right into the universe.”
?SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox?
Hence then, the article about 1981 classic ranked among greatest rock duets of all time became the biggest hit ever for both artists was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 1981 Classic, Ranked Among ‘Greatest Rock Duets of All Time,’ Became the Biggest Hit Ever for Both Artists )
Also on site :
- 1970 Soft Rock Classic, That Became a Career-Defining Song for ’70s Legend, Ranked Among ‘Greatest Songs of All Time’
- Aldi's Boho Accent Table Is a Small Space Game Changer
- Cherie DeVaux se convierte en la primera entrenadora en ganar el Derby de Kentucky con la histórica victoria de Golden Tempo