Don't Come Around Here No More

"Don't Come Around Here No More"
Single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
from the album Southern Accents
B-side	"Trailer"
Released	February 28, 1985
Recorded	1984
Genre	Synth-rock[1] neo-psychedelia[2]
Length	5:07
Label	MCA
Songwriter(s)	Tom Petty, David A. Stewart
Producer(s)	Tom Petty, David A. Stewart, Jimmy Iovine
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers singles chronology
"Change of Heart" (1983) "Don't Come Around Here No More" (1985) "Rebels" (1985)
Music video
"Don't Come Around Here No More" on YouTube

"Don't Come Around Here No More" is a song written by Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and David A. Stewart of Eurythmics. It was released in February 1985 as the lead single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Southern Accents album.

Background and writing[]

The original inspiration was a romantic encounter that producer David A. Stewart of Eurythmics had with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac.^[3] On The Howard Stern Show, Stewart explained that the title's phrase was actually uttered by Nicks. She had broken up with Eagles singer and guitarist Joe Walsh the night before,^[4] and invited Stewart to her place for a party after an early Eurythmics show in Los Angeles. Stewart did not know who she was at the time, but went anyway. When the partygoers all disappeared to a bathroom for a couple of hours to snort cocaine, he decided to go upstairs to bed. He woke up at 5 a.m. to find Nicks in his room trying on Victorian clothing and described the entire scenario as very much reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. Later that morning, when Walsh came by to find Nicks, Stewart heard Nicks throw Walsh out, saying "Don't come around here no more."

According to Nicks, the song was originally written for her album Rock a Little, but she declined it after Petty performed the vocals for her, feeling she couldn't do the song justice.^[5]

Music video[]

The music video is themed around the 1865 Lewis Carroll novel Alice in Wonderland, and was directed by Jeff Stein. Dave Stewart appears as the caterpillar at the beginning, sitting on a mushroom with a hookah water pipe while playing a sitar. Petty appears in the video dressed as The Mad Hatter, and actress Louise “Wish” Foley played Alice.^[6] Alice eats a cake given to her by Stewart and tumbles into a black/white-patterned realm similar to the "Mad Tea Party" scene from Alice in Wonderland. She experiences a succession of bizarre events, culminating in her body being turned into a cake and eaten by the guests at the tea party. The video ends with Petty swallowing Alice whole, burping softly, and wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Personnel[]

The Heartbreakers

• Tom Petty – lead vocals, piano
• Mike Campbell – guitar, bass synthesizer
• Benmont Tench – string synthesizer
• Stan Lynch – drums, percussion
• Howie Epstein – bass guitar, vocals

Additional personnel

• David A. Stewart – electric sitar, synthesizer, vocals
• Dean Garcia – intro bass guitar
• Daniel Rothmuller – cello
• Marilyn Martin – backing vocals
• Stephanie Spruill – backing vocals
• Sharon Celani – backing vocals
• Alan "Bugs" Weidel – wild dog piano

Chart performance[]

References[]