'Confusion Wheel' by Tom Petty

Badlands of Indiana (September 12, 2020) - A previously unreleased song by Tom Petty has been released in anticipation of his upcoming Wildflowers & All the Rest box set.

“Confusion Wheel” was written by Petty in 1994 and has remained on the shelf ever since. The tune begins with the late rocker singing over a jangly acoustic guitar part. From there, the song slowly expands, as drums, vocal harmonies and electric guitar add extra layers to the poignant track.

Lyrically, Petty explores internal fears, searching for safety in a chaotic existence. “So much confusion has entered my life / So much confusion has torn me apart / So much confusion has made me afraid / And I don’t know how to love / And I don’t know who to trust / And I don’t know what I did,” he sings on the song’s chorus. Still, Petty tries to maintain a positive outlook, noting that “One of these days we’ll drive away / Drive away singing a brand-new song / We’ll wake up singing a brand-new song.”

You can listen to “Confusion Wheel” below.



The song is one of 10 tracks that make up the All the Rest portion of the upcoming set. The box will also feature the original Wildflowers LP, a collection of 15 Petty home demos, live versions of 14 songs recorded between 1995 and 2017 and 16 alternate studio versions of Wildflowers tracks.

Deluxe, Super Deluxe and Ultra Deluxe editions will offer the set in various forms, with varying bonus material, including a lithograph, tour-program replica, reproductions of handwritten lyrics and specially commissioned illustrations accompanying some of the versions.

Wildflowers & All the Rest will be released on Oct. 16; it's available for pre-order now.

Looking Back: Sweet F.A.

Badlands of Indiana (July 14, 2019) WHR — The year was 1988 and in Indianapolis, Indiana, the musicians Steven David De Leong (vocals), Jon Huffman (guitar), James Thunder (guitar), Jim Quick (bass) and Tricky Lane (drums) joined forces to form the American hard rock band SWEET F.A. These Midwestern boys played their first gig on November 21, 1988, and had a major label deal a mere eleven months later.

In late 1990 Sweet F.A. left MCA Records to immediately sign their second recording contract with Virgin Records subsidiary label, Charisma Records and released their second worldwide release, Temptation which was not successful.


After a several years on hiatus, the band with all original members released their third CD on Upward Records entitled, The Lost Tapes. A very straight forward and energetic bluesy hard rock record. This release is an actual compilation of songs recorded intended for release but never were back in the early days.

The group holed up with producer Howard Benson in Atlanta, Georgia to record the debut album Stick To Your Guns. It would prove to be an excellent release, with singles such as "Prince Of The City" and "Rhythm Of Action", but would stall at #161 on the Billboard charts. Disappointed with sales, MCA released the band from their roster in late 1990, as the band themselves released Quiggins.


With a new label, the band set to record the follow-up album with session bassist Frank Coglitore. Released in 1991, Temptation was a more mature album, but failed to do much business in recession-hit America. The band hit the road with new bassist Mark Matthews, but with the musical tides changing in the early nineties, the end had arrived for Sweet F.A.