Tom Petty died just over two years ago of what was later revealed to be an accidental overdose, and to commemorate his passing, as well as the release of recent posthumous material, a group of musicians have released a cover of his song “For Real.” Willie Nelson, his sons Micah and Lukas Nelson, Jakob Dylan, Dhani Harrison, and Amos Lee have come together for “For Real—For Tom,” a new rendition of the Tom Petty single.
Originally recorded with his band the Heartbreakers in 2000, the song first appeared on Petty’s posthumous compilation The Best of Everything earlier this year, and was released as the album’s second single following the title track. For their rendition, the group lend the sparse acoustic single an Americana twang, with freewheeling harmonica phrases and gorgeous three-part harmonies.
“When I first was sent this song asking if I wanted to record it, I was quite frankly dumbfounded,” Lukas Nelson recently told Rolling Stone. “It was the whole manifesto of our band [Promise of the Real] in a song. It just shows how connected artists who have integrity are with others who share the same passion and fire for being honest with their soul. Fearless and real.”
All proceeds from the cover go to The Midnight Mission, a nonprofit dedicated to combatting homelessness in the Los Angeles area. Check out the single below via Dark Horse Records and revisit our tribute to Tom Petty, the generation-defining songwriter who never backed down.
