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Song · Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

“Learning To Fly” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

“Learning To Fly” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers appears on 73 radio countdowns from 28 stations between 1991 and 2026. Its best result is #54 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1991. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #137 alternative song of 1991.

73countdowns
28stations
#54best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1991–2026years charted

Watch

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Learning To Fly (Version 1)

Video from YouTube (TomPettyVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

Tom Petty and his writing partner Jeff Lynne wrote "Learning to Fly" in 1991 for Into the Great Wide Open, the eighth studio album by Petty and the Heartbreakers, and MCA sent it out that year as the record's first single. The whole song runs on four plain chords, F, C, A minor and G, and it never asks for more: it's Petty at his most easygoing, making simple sound like hard-won wisdom.

Rock radio embraced it. It went to number one on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart and stayed there for six weeks, the best showing any of his singles ever had on that chart, while it peaked at 28 on the Hot 100. In Britain it got as high as 46.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1991 54 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1991 91
1991 76 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON CFNY Top 91 Songs of 1991 91

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1997 430 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 484 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
2002 319 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2004 318 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2009 712 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2010 340 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 524 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 527 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 629 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 455 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 687 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 462 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 352 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 482 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 939 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 482 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 466 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 692 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 275 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 455 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 361 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2017 454 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 62 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2017 373 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2018 374 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2018 392 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 378 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 407 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 171 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2020 251 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 415 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 251 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 278 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 551 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 343 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 771 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 416 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 468 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 319 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 221 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2022 565 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 203 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 513 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 409 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 385 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 410 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 347 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 266 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2023 337 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 342 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 203 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 1197 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 702 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 399 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 428 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 292 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 458 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2024 217 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 392 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 478 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 892 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 198 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2024 323 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2025 129 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s 500
2025 236 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 433 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2025 200 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 483 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 385 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2026 399 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 384 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Learning to Fly.

Charting alongside it in 1991

Best songs of 1991 →
  1. 1Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana
  2. 2Losing My ReligionR.E.M.
  3. 3UnbelievableEMF
  4. 4Kiss Them for MeSiouxsie and the Banshees
  5. 5RushBig Audio Dynamite
  6. 6Give It AwayRed Hot Chili Peppers

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