Snoop Dogg, Jelly Roll, & Dr. Dre's Tom Petty-Inspired Song Is Otherworldly Fun
The track is inspired by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' hit “Mary Jane’s Last Dance."
From Willie Nelson to Sting, Snoop Dogg has been collaborating with rock stars and country icons for years. Now, The Voice Coach can add Tom Petty to that list.
Roughly seven years after Petty’s death in 2017, Snoop joined forces with Dr. Dre to create a catchy new song inspired by “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Tweaking the name slightly to “Last Dance with Mary Jane,” the rap legends, who first collaborated on Snoop’s 1993 debut album Doggystyle, incorporated Petty’s vocals and harmonica on the track.
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What’s more, Dr. Dre even had Petty’s blessing to sample his classic song. Read on to listen to Snoop and Dr. Dre's "Last Dance with Mary Jane,” also featuring Jelly Roll, and learn how Petty predicted Dr. Dre's version would be an instant hit.
Snoop Dogg’s “Last Dance with Mary Jane” features Tom Petty’s vocals
Released on his 2024 album Missionary, the track samples the 1993 classic Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” Snoop’s version — produced by Dr. Dre — features the late rocker’s vocals throughout the song.
First, we can hear Petty say “keep movin’ on” as he does in the original at the very top of the song just before Snoop raps about his long history with and love for, well, Mary Jane.
As Snoop raps in the first verse: “Don't bother asking me to ever give my lady up / Was about five years old taking my first puff / It was love at first light, fell in love the first night / My uncle told me, ‘Don't rush, this could be your first crush.’”
Petty’s vocals (and signature harmonica) return in the chorus, singing the instantly recognizable lyrics, “Last dance with Mary Jane, one more time to kill the pain” and “I feel summer creeping in and I'm tired of this town again.”
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Jelly Roll joins in during the second verse, singing that he’s “seen some things in my life"and he’s “saying goodbye to the dangerous side.”
The duo performed the song live for the first time on November 26, 2024 in Nashville during Jelly Roll’s concert when Snoop made a surprise appearance with him on stage. The “Save Me” singer commented on Snoop’s TikTok that it was “an honor” to collaborate on the song together.
Listen to the full song below:
Tom Petty envisioned Dr. Dre would be behind a version of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”
Speaking to Complex about Missionary, Dr. Dre said that Petty himself had given him his blessing to sample “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” one day. Petty was interviewed for The Defiant Ones, the 2017 documentary series on Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, and predicted that the "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" rapper would create a hit.
“I’ll tell you, the day Dre does a version of ‘Mary Jane’s Last Dance’ he’s going to have a big hit,” Petty said in the documentary. “That one’s just waiting to explode. But you need somebody like Dre to do it.”
Dr. Dre revealed to Complex that Petty’s family was also on board. “The family sent me the files, so I actually have Tom Petty’s voice and harmonica playing on the hook,” he said, adding that they had a “blast” recording it and that it's “actually one of my favorite songs on the album."
Tom Petty initially didn't want to release “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”
As one of Petty’s most well-known songs, “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” has sustained its massive popularity over the years. Beyond Snoop’s version, the song has been sampled by Lana Del Ray and covered by countless artists. But Petty wasn’t initially enthusiastic about releasing it.
“At the end of the day, it was one of our biggest songs. But it wouldn't have been done if we hadn’t absolutely had to make a record to fill out this album,” Petty told CBC News: The National in 2014.
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“Mary Jane’s Last Dance” was first released on the band’s Greatest Hits album in 1993, which “irked” Petty at the time. “Part of the obligation was that I had to deliver a new song for this album,” he told the CBC in 2014. “It irked me to no end that I had to do this. I didn’t want to turn around and give something away.”
The song, of course, became a timeless hit and its morbid, twisted music video with Kim Basinger even won an MTV Video Music Award. In the end, Petty was happy they released it. “I complained about that [song] so much,” Petty told Rolling Stone. “I’m really glad I did it now.”
