Petty wrote the song and took it to his bandmates, who were less than impressed with his initial efforts. In fact, they despised it. “What’s funny is that when Tom wrote this song,” guitarist Mike Campbell mentioned during a conversation with Vulture“when he first showed it to me, the refrain was, ‘Hey, Indiana girl, go out and find the world.’

“It was a completely different chorus and we all hated it,” Campbell admitted. Fortunately, the guitarist must have seen some potential in the track as he worked alongside Petty to save it. The chorus turned into something else entirely, and Campbell pushed the Heartbreakers frontman to include a guitar solo towards the end of the track.

Together, they turned a song they initially hated into a chart-topping hit. The final version of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” featured guitars and harmonica, while altering the chorus to be the title character. “Last dance with Mary Jane,” Petty sang over gorgeous harmonies, “one more time to kill the pain. I feel like summer is slipping away and I’m sick of this town again.”

The guitar solo that comes towards the end of the track, as Campbell suggested, also contributes to the track, going through the Heartland instrumentation to close the track. Petty and his Heartbreakers were much happier with the final version, and their fans would be, too. When they released the track in the fall of 1993, it was an instant hit.

“Mary Jane’s Last Dance” reached number 14 in the charts in their native country. It also became a signature song in their catalog, a status it retains over three decades later. Between Petty’s idea, the initial reaction, and Campbell’s willingness to work with him to perfect the song, the Heartbreakers had created a hit for the ages.

This serves as proof that not all great songs can be written as quickly or effortlessly as “Yesterday” or “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)”. Sure, it’s great when a hit comes to a fully formed artist, but it’s almost more exciting to see a bad idea turn into a great final product, to see how creative collaboration and refinement can lead to a hit song.

For budding songwriters who might feel beaten down by band members’ rejection, consider following in Petty and Campbell’s footsteps and giving songs time and space to develop.

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