Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Runnin' Down A Dream

What this video is

Released in July 1989 as the second single from Tom Petty's first solo album Full Moon Fever, 'Runnin' Down a Dream' arrived at a moment when heartland rock and classic rock were consolidating their dominance on album-rock radio. The song reached number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. Co-written by Petty, Mike Campbell, and Jeff Lynne, the track carried deliberate…

Why it matters

This video is a landmark example of concept-animation in the music video form within the heartland rock genre. At a time when animation in music videos was uncommon and typically cartoonish, the Lenahan-directed clip deployed a historically grounded aesthetic — the Winsor McCay Little Nemo…

The director

Jim Lenahan is a music video director credited with directing the 1989 animated music video for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 'Runnin' Down a Dream.' The video was produced in collaboration with Pittsburgh-based animation studios Allan & Wilson Animation…