Previously Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers made albums and released them without a whole lot of time being involved. They had been releasing new albums almost every year. However their next album took a turn for something new. Petty decided that this album they would work with Jimmy Iovine and Dave Stewart in hopes of having the album produced properly. They spent almost three years making Southern Accents. Although, it took quite some time to get the album perfect the band enjoyed this time. They were for the most part sober and able to focus on the reason they began it all, for the love for music that they all shared. The time spent making the album was bright for them. They laughed a lot and had fun with it and took their time.
Aside from being on a different time line than other albums, this album was significantly different than the music they had produced prior. They took a soul based approach with a few songs that had a neo-psychedelic feeling. Petty aimed at writing the album based on his own experience from living in the South. He put a lot of effort into it based upon soul and experiences he had of his own. Like their other albums, it went platinum and fans raved about it.
While creating Southern Accents, each of the band members began to engage in the partying lifestyle a lot more than they had in the past. Cocaine, marijuana, and even heavy drinking were part of their daily routine. They all were crossing fine lines on whether or not it would turn into something larger than a partying life style.