Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'” is a classic tale of nostalgic love in which a young protagonist wistfully reflects on all the great things about the girl he left behind. But that’s not what it was originally about, according to last night’s episode of The Tonight Show. Apparently, Petty’s first draft of the track was really just about how much the girl really, really loves horses.
Yes, Jimmy Fallon once again busted out his rock star impersonation chops, slinging a double-necked guitar as “Free Fallin'” co-writer and ELO member Jeff Lynne. Beside him stood “Petty”, played by Kevin Bacon, someone who’s no doubt closely related to the real musician. As he put off the chorus as long as possible, Bacon/Petty tried to make it absolutely clear what his ex-girl really likes: “She doesn’t like goats/ She don’t like llamas/ She doesn’t care for them crazy kangaroos/ And I’m a bad boy/ ‘Cause I don’t like horses/ She loves horses/ Ventura Boulevard.” Well, at least one of those lyrics stuck.
Check out the parody above.