Steve Earle covers Tom Petty’s ‘Yer So Bad’

The song appears on Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty

Steve Earle’s reimagined version of Tom Petty’s “Yer So Bad” is available now via Big Machine Records. The new single is from the highly-anticipated tribute album, Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, set for release on June 21st.

Earle’s gravelly, bluegrass-twinged version debuted yesterday (Thurs, May 9th) on SiriusXM’s Tom Petty Radio, and he will join David Fricke on his Tom Petty Radio show, The Friday Night Affair, on Friday, May 17th to discuss the track and album. “Yer So Bad” debuted on Petty’s first solo album, Full Moon Fever, peaked at No. 5 on Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart, and is considered one of Petty’s best-told lyrical stories.

Earle’s take on “Yer So Bad” is the latest taste of Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty to be released wide with Chris Stapleton’s “I Should Have Known It,” Dolly Parton’s “Southern Accents” and Dierks Bentley’s “American Girl” already being available to fans. Bentley’s single continues to climb through the Top 35 on country radio.

The country tribute album lovingly curated by some of the late Petty’s closest friends and collaborators, finds some of the most lauded voices in country and Americana music exploring the extensive Petty catalog and putting their own personal touches on some of his greatest hits. With the South’s influence being a constant throughout the Gainesville, Florida native’s songwriting, the region’s influence can be heard throughout Petty’s extensive discography, which is in part why Petty is often credited as contemporary country music’s biggest rock influence. Petty’s deep roots in country music saw collaborations and long-lasting friendships with a number of the genre’s greats, including Carl Perkins (Petty inducted Perkins into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame), Johnny Cash (The Heartbreakers were the backing band on Cash’s Unchained), June Carter Cash, Marty Stuart, John Prine, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, George Strait, Hank Williams Jr. and Willie Nelson.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn