Runnin ' Down a Dream - wikipedia Runnin ' Down a Dream For the Tom Petty film, see Runnin ' Down a Dream ( film ). `` Runnin ' Down a Dream '' Single by Tom Petty from the album Full Moon Fever B - side `` Alright For Now '' `` Down the Line '' ( 12 '' & CD only ) Released July 1989 Format 7 ``, cassette, 12 '' & CD ( UK only ) Recorded 1987 - 1988 Genre Heartland rock hard rock rock and roll Length 4 : 25 Label MCA Songwriter ( s ) Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Mike Campbell Producer ( s ) Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell Tom Petty singles chronology `` I Wo n't Back Down '' ( 1989 ) `` Runnin ' Down a Dream '' ( 1989 ) `` Free Fallin ' '' ( 1989 ) `` I Wo n't Back Down '' ( 1989 ) `` Runnin ' Down a Dream '' ( 1989 ) `` Free Fallin ' '' ( 1989 ) `` Runnin ' Down a Dream '' is a song co-written and recorded by Tom Petty. It was released in July 1989 as the second single from his first solo album Full Moon Fever. `` Runnin ' Down a Dream '' achieved reasonable chart success, reaching number 23 both in Canada and on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the top of the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It has since garnered significant airplay on classic rock stations, and lent its name to the 2007 documentary on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Contents 1 Lyrics and music 2 Music video 3 Charts 4 Cover versions 5 In popular culture 6 References 7 External links Lyrics and music The song was co-written by Mike Campbell, along with Petty and Jeff Lynne. It was a nod to Petty 's musical roots, with the lyric `` me and Del were singin ' ' Little Runaway ' '' making reference to Del Shannon and `` Runaway ''. The song uses E major as a tonic, but makes ample use of chords outside that key, such as A, D, G, and C major chords. Some passages ( including the extended outro ) use a pedal point of E in the bass, while changing chords from E major to C and D major chords above it. The repeating fuzz guitar riff, using the notes B, B ♭, A, G, and E, lacks only a D to complete the hexatonic E blues scale. Music video The music video for `` Runnin ' Down a Dream '', directed by Jim Lenahan, featured animation, based on several episodes of the classic comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay, featuring a drawing style reminiscent of McCay 's and showing Petty and a character who resembles Flip travelling through Slumberland. The 1933 film King Kong is also briefly referenced when Petty, atop the Chrysler Building, attempts to swat at attacking oversized mosquitoes, much like Kong swatting at the biplanes in the film. Charts Chart ( 1989 ) Peak position Australia ARIA Singles Chart 68 Canadian RPM Top Singles 23 UK Singles Chart 55 US Billboard Album Rock Tracks US Billboard Hot 100 23 Cover versions Horror punk / metal artist Wednesday 13 covered the song on his Bloodwork EP. In their 2013 summer tour, Dave Matthews Band covered the song. The 2016 Karma to Burn EP Mountain Czar features the song, retitled `` Uccidendo Un Sogno, '' sung in Italian with guest vocalist Stefanie Savy. In popular culture It was used on the soundtrack for the videogame Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas and was the official theme song of the 2006 NBA Finals as well as the 2008 NBA Finals. The song was also used by ABC in the 2010 NBA Finals when the presentation of the game reached the end of the third quarter and was phased out into a commercial break. The song is playable in Guitar Hero 5 and was released as downloadable content for Rock Band 2 ; in Guitar Hero 5 the master track is used. It closed Petty and the Heartbreakers ' performance at the February 2008 Super Bowl XLII Halftime Show, encoda'ed with a long Mike Campbell guitar solo. The next morning, following the Patriots loss to the Giants, which ended their chance at perfection, the song was used during Super Bowl highlights on ESPN. It was also used in promotional segments of the 2008 MLB World Series. In 2011, the song was included in Tom Hanks 's film Larry Crowne and on its soundtrack. In the animated television series King of the Hill episode `` Arlen City Bomber '', Lucky Kleinschmidt ( voiced by Tom Petty ) says `` I 'm gon na help you run down that dream, Bobby '' of getting Bobby a freshly made corn chip off the production line. The song was used in the Family Guy episode The Book of Joe when Brian achieves his `` runner 's high ''. NBC currently uses a version of this song as their theme for NASCAR on NBC in the summer of 2018. This song is covered by ZZ Ward. References Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. 8th Edition ( Billboard Publications ), page 490. Jump up ^ Tom Petty, Full Moon Fever ( songbook ) C.P.P. Belwin, Inc. ; First Edition ( 1989 ) ASIN B0013GBQB2 Jump up ^ `` 25 Years Ago This Week : September 10, 1989 ''. chartbeat.blogspot.com.au. Retrieved September 24, 2015. Jump up ^ Video on YouTube Jump up ^ `` Karma to Burn : Band ''. Retrieved February 13, 2016. Jump up ^ Vince Darcangelo ( 2006 - 06 - 22 ). `` B - ball blues ''. Boulder Weekly. Archived from the original on 2009 - 11 - 10. Retrieved 2008 - 03 - 02. ^ Jump up to : Ann Donahue ( 2008 - 02 - 03 ). `` Super Bowl XLII Halftime Recap ''. Adweek. Retrieved 2008 - 03 - 02. Jump up ^ `` iTunes Store ''. Retrieved July 5, 2011. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Tom Petty Discography Awards and nominations Songs Studio albums Full Moon Fever ( 1989 ) Wildflowers ( 1994 ) Highway Companion ( 2006 ) Singles `` Stop Draggin ' My Heart Around '' `` I Wo n't Back Down '' `` Runnin ' Down a Dream '' `` Free Fallin ' '' `` A Face in the Crowd '' `` Yer So Bad '' `` You Do n't Know How It Feels '' `` You Wreck Me '' `` Saving Grace '' Other songs `` Wildflowers '' `` Square One '' Related articles Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Blue Stingrays Mudcrutch Traveling Wilburys Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Runnin%27_Down_a_Dream&oldid=858952296 '' Categories : 1989 singles Tom Petty songs Animated music videos Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne Billboard Mainstream Rock number - one singles Songs written by Jeff Lynne Songs written by Tom Petty Songs written by Mike Campbell ( musician ) MCA Records singles 1989 songs Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Norsk nynorsk Edit links This page was last edited on 10 September 2018, at 18 : 45 ( UTC ). 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Question: who sings the song running down the dream
Answer: Tom Petty