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Song · Tom Petty

“Running Down a Dream” by Tom Petty

“Running Down a Dream” by Tom Petty appears on 108 radio countdowns from 30 stations between 1989 and 2026. Its best result is #8 on the WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #168 alternative song of 1989.

108countdowns
30stations
#8best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1989–2026years charted

Watch

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Runnin' Down A Dream (Official Music Video)

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

"Runnin' Down a Dream" was the second single off Full Moon Fever, Tom Petty's first solo album, released in July 1989, and it barrels along with the throttle wide open. Petty wrote it with Mike Campbell and Jeff Lynne, and it doubles as a nod to his roots, the lyric tipping its hat to Del Shannon and "Runaway".

The engine is a looping fuzz-guitar riff, one note shy of a full E blues scale, over a song centered on E major that keeps borrowing D, G and C chords from outside the key. Campbell gets the last word with a closing guitar solo nearly two minutes long, nailed in a single take. It went to 23 on the Hot 100, topped the Album Rock Tracks chart, and in 2007 its title went to a documentary about Petty and the Heartbreakers.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1989 63 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1989 90

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1994 650 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 408 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 499 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1997 321 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1998 398 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 475 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2001 75 KISW KISW Top 99 Rock Songs (2001) 99
2002 416 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2002 185 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2004 184 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2010 8 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 178 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2011 178 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 81 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 179 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 175 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 214 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 171 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 151 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 416 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 148 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 316 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2014 459 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 158 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 198 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2015 284 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 147 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 81 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 74 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2016 106 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 258 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 181 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 139 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2017 39 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 190 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 186 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 47 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2018 190 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 104 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 711 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 140 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 34 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 53 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 82 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 875 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 711 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2020 763 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 356 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2020 56 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 139 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 101 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 95 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2021 183 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 133 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 60 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 445 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 150 WYEP WYEP 2021 Labor Day Countdown 168
2021 154 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 206 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 58 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 175 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2022 67 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 84 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 121 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 86 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 127 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 279 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 243 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 141 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 48 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 47 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2023 214 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 205 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 756 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 38 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 249 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 78 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 48 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 85 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 130 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 394 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 444 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 146 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 265 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 100 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2024 51 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 155 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 61 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 115 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 79 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 46 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 218 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 238 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2025 147 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 141 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 205 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 303 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 139 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 69 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 368 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2025 57 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800
2026 274 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498
2026 657 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 159 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 67 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 61 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 141 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Runnin' Down A Dream; Runnin' Down a Dream; Running Down A Dream; Runnin' Down a Dreak; Runnin Down a Dream; Runnin Down A Dream.

Charting alongside it in 1989

Best songs of 1989 →
  1. 1Love SongThe Cure
  2. 2StandR.E.M.
  3. 3Here Comes Your ManThe Pixies
  4. 4She Drives Me CrazyFine Young Cannibals
  5. 5Love ShackThe B-52's
  6. 6Personal JesusDepeche Mode

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