Tom Petty has one of the most streamed songs of the moment, thanks to a resurgence brought on by the trailer for the long-awaited, forthcoming Grand Theft Auto VI game.
Taken from the late rocker's 1989 album, Full Moon Fever, “Love Is a Long Road” wasn't even released as a single in its time, however, the folks at Rockstar Games hand-picked the heartland rock cut as the music to soundtrack the first glimpse of its new game.
Much like Stranger Things did for Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" in 2022, Grand Theft Auto has given Petty a new life in streaming, with the song reportedly sky-rocketing in streams by 36979% since last week, thanks to the 130 million views of the trailer so far.
Petty's team is also all-in on the boost, promoting the track on socials, including a clip featuring the singer-songwriter and his bandmate Mike Campbell breaking down the track (see tweet below).
Grand Theft Auto VI is not expected to see a release until some time in 2025, so expect the same kind of behaviour for whatever song graces the next trailer.
Learn more about the writing of “Love Is A Long Road”, from the ‘Full Moon Fever’ album, in Tom and @MikeCampbellHQ’s own words.#PettyForever #GTA6 pic.twitter.com/II9l6A6jhn
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) December 7, 2023