T. Petty's "Insider" duet with Stevie

[Mad4stevie]

Can anyone enlighten me about this song? I have heard a live version and the studio version, and just yesterday saw the music video. Stevie has her hair done similar to the Stop Draggin My Heart Around video (with the braids).

I know Petty wrote it, but was there a Stevie connection with this song?

I really love this duet!

[darklinensuit]

TOO Too Too WEIRD!!!
I just logged on to post about this underrated song. I was watching a collection of Stevie/Mac videos in the late night/early morning, and as always, this song was a stand-out.
If I remember the story, TDMHA was a leftover from Tom's album, and Jimmy suggested Stevie record it. When it got to #3, Tom & his band were upset that their song was a hit for somebody else (although they liked Stevie), so she did a song for his album. There's a great live version of the song (I think the same as what they lip-sync in the video, perhaps) on his Pack Up The Plantation album (which also has Needles $ Pins), but the studio version (a milder version) is on Hard Promises, I think. (Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.)
Great song.

- Jake

[Sorcerer386]

Originally posted by darklinensuit
If I remember the story, TDMHA was a leftover from Tom's album, and Jimmy suggested Stevie record it. When it got to #3, Tom & his band were upset that their song was a hit for somebody else (although they liked Stevie), so she did a song for his album.

That's interesting that they were upset that SDMHA was such a big hit for someone else. I mean, if they HAD done it themselves, it may not have only flopped for THEM, but it might not even have been a single. Considering that it wasn't working too well for them and THAT'S why it was given to Stevie, I don't think they would have released it as a single. But you have to wonder even if they did it and it was a single if it would have done as well. I often think about how Stevie was first offered some songs that were huge hits, such as "These Dreams" (I think that's the title) by Heart. It hit number 1, but would it have hit #1 if Stevie had done it? Who knows...I'm just very surprised to hear they were "upset."

[skcin]

I don't know the exact connection, but I believe both the Insider & SDMHA videos were done at the same shoot. I love Insider too!

paula

[DeeGeMe]

The studio version is on Tom Petty's Hard Promises CD.

[David]

Originally posted by darklinensuit
If I remember the story, TDMHA was a leftover from Tom's album, and Jimmy suggested Stevie record it. When it got to #3, Tom & his band were upset that their song was a hit for somebody else (although they liked Stevie), so she did a song for his album. The story Stevie used to tell was that she asked Tom Petty to write her a song for her album, & he wrote "Insider." They recorded it & Tom was pretty blown away by Stevie's harmonies. He said it reminded him of some of his favorite folk/country duet singing, like Gram Parsons' "Grievous Angel" album. Then he found out from Stevie that she didn't really want him to write her a ballad because she herself wrote so many ballads. She wanted him to write her more of a grittier rock & roll song. So he wrote "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" -- or maybe he just pulled it out of mothballs & gave it to her.

In another context, Stevie said that Tom was reluctant to let Stevie put "Insider" on her own album because he was so crazy about how the track turned out with her harmonies.

Stevie sang "Insider" a bunch of times in 1981 on the "Hard Promises" tour: Los Angeles, Irvine, San Francisco, Boston, Tempe, Lakeland & maybe some other cities.

[macmar71]

Insider is a great song and I was happy to discover a video for it as well, it is available on Tom's DVD "Playback"

[sarahw]

I adore this song.....it the video online anywhere? I have tried kazaa with no luck.

[Mad4stevie]

Originally posted by sarahw
I adore this song.....it the video online anywhere? I have tried kazaa with no luck.

I got my two versions of the song and the video from kazaa. I can email it to you if you want . . .

[Mad4stevie]

Originally posted by David
The story Stevie used to tell was that she asked Tom Petty to write her a song for her album, & he wrote "Insider." They recorded it & Tom was pretty blown away by Stevie's harmonies. He said it reminded him of some of his favorite folk/country duet singing, like Gram Parsons' "Grievous Angel" album. Then he found out from Stevie that she didn't really want him to write her a ballad because she herself wrote so many ballads. She wanted him to write her more of a grittier rock & roll song. So he wrote "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" -- or maybe he just pulled it out of mothballs & gave it to her.

In another context, Stevie said that Tom was reluctant to let Stevie put "Insider" on her own album because he was so crazy about how the track turned out with her harmonies.

Stevie sang "Insider" a bunch of times in 1981 on the "Hard Promises" tour: Los Angeles, Irvine, San Francisco, Boston, Tempe, Lakeland & maybe some other cities.


I love the lyrics to this song. So "Stevie", even though she didn't write it.

" . . . And I'm the one who oughta know
Yeah, I'm the one you couldn't trust
Oh, I'm the lonely, sad one
I'm the one left in the dust

I'm an insider
I've been burned by the fire
And I've had to live with some hard promises
I've crawled through the briars
I'm an insider . . ."

[macmar71]

Tom definitely wrote it with Stevie in mind as it does sound like something she would compose.

[Gypsy-Rhiannon]

Insider is one of my favourite songs. I love it

Pip

[sarahw]

Mad4stevie....

I would love to get the video.....by all means email me.....thank you!