C major · Camelot 8B · 116 BPM
Learning to Fly
by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
- 116
- BPM
- C major
- Key
- 8B
- Camelot
- 66
- Danceability
- 21
- Acousticness
"Learning to Fly" spent six weeks at number one on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, making it Tom Petty's most successful single on that chart. Released in June 1991 by MCA Records as the first single from Into the Great Wide Open, the song also peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, where it came out on June 17, it debuted at number 65, climbed to a peak of number 46 the following week, and left the top 75 after two more weeks.
Tom Petty wrote the song with his writing partner Jeff Lynne in 1991 for the Heartbreakers' eighth studio album. The entire track rests on four simple chords: F, C, A minor, and G.
The band had formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976, with Petty joined by lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer Stan Lynch and bassist Ron Blair. By the time the record came out, Howie Epstein had taken over on bass and Scott Thurston had recently joined on rhythm guitar and secondary keyboard. "Learning to Fly" joined a long run of hits for the group, from "Breakdown" and "American Girl" in 1976 through "Refugee" and "The Waiting" to "Mary Jane's Last Dance" in 1993.
Learning to Fly runs at 116 BPM, the tempo of pop, funk and disco-leaning dance. In classical terms it sits in moderato territory. A bar of 4/4 lasts 2.07 seconds, and a quarter-note delay is 517 ms. It is in C major, Camelot 8B, which shares its notes with A minor and mixes cleanly with F major and G major.
We use multiple sources as part of our online research for the song story including Wikipedia.