(Credits: Far Out / The Traveling Wilbury’s / Alamy)
Tue 5 August 2025 20:11, UK
Half a century of elaborate Hollywood movies has conditioned us to be somewhat cynical towards supergroups.
The idea of every major superhero banding together isn’t as appealing as studios would imagine, given how frequently we see it. Does the same apply to music? Do we really want to see the best artists form to make one supergroup?
I think in 2025, it would likely be met with an eyeroll, largely because we think it would be a symptom of the sensationalist world of modern entertainment. But it wouldn’t be an entirely new idea. In fact, some of the most iconic supergroups of all time formed during what we would consider the era of ultimate authenticity.
Neil Young joined Crosby, Stills, and Nash in the 1970s, while Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce formed Cream in the same decade. But the 1980s gave way to perhaps the most powerful supergroup of all time: The Traveling Wilburys.
Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty rallied around a homemade studio in Los Angeles’ Laurel Canyon to turn what were fleeting melodic ideas into a powerhouse album that would make the rest of the music world quiver upon release. Here were five of the most influential names in music, proving that egos can be set aside for the greater good of music.
(Credit: Wikimedia)
Well, for the most part, egos were set aside. They took the opportunity on one of their songs from their first album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 to provide a thinly veiled jab at a fellow musical icon. While they were relaxing in the warmth of the Californian sunshine, they set their gaze on America’s East Coast to subtly mock Bruce Springsteen. A man who, in a parallel universe, could have quite nicely slotted into a supergroup like The Wilburys.
‘Tweeter and the Monkey Man’ tells the story of two New Jersey drug dealers and the undercover policeman tasked with bringing them to justice. If the references to Springsteen’s lyrics weren’t as overt, it would be an interesting take on American society, but they aren’t subtle in providing evidence that it is a spicy take on a Springsteen track.
His song titles, ‘Stolen Car’, ‘Mansion on the Hill’, ‘Thunder Road’, ‘State Trooper’, ‘Factory’ and ‘The River’ all rained down over the lyrics as not one, but five of music’s most famous musicians made subtle fun of the humble songwriting of the East Coast hero. But it’s clear the creative was meant in jest, as the composition of the song is overtly Springsteen-esque.
An idea that Tom Petty was quick to clarify, saying, “Yeah, it was not meant to mock [Springsteen] at all.”
He added, “It started with Bob Dylan saying, ‘I want to write a song about a guy named Tweeter. And it needs somebody else.’ I said, ‘The Monkey Man’. And he says, ‘Perfect, Tweeter and the Monkey Man’”.
Petty continued, “And he said, ‘Okay, I want to write the story and I want to set it in New Jersey.’ I was like, ‘Okay, New Jersey.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, we could use references to Bruce Springsteen titles.’ He clearly meant it as praise. We weren’t trying to knock anybody, and there’s not much of it in there anyway.”
Just why Dylan was so hellbent on setting in Jersey and using Springsteen song titles within it doesn’t exactly support Petty’s point. But it remains a moment of musical fun nevertheless, and no rift was ever caused between The Boss and one of music’s most powerful supergroups.
Related Topics