It’s taken me a while, I think, to really become a fan of Tom Waits. As a singer, he can be a little off-putting to the newcomer, and that voice — so famously described as sounding “like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car” — is definitely an acquired taste.
But the man is easily one of the greatest songwriters I’ve ever come across, and it’s not tough to see why he’s been covered by performers as varied as Tori Amos, Rod Stewart, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and even Scarlett Johansson. I’ll admit, sometimes I do still prefer the covers to the originals, if only to better appreciate the lyrics sometimes hiding underneath the trademark growl. But sometimes there’s just no substitute for the real thing.
Here’s “Hold On” from Mule Variations.
Tom Waits – “Hold On” video from Anti Records on Vimeo.
I don’t know, though. I think you meet plenty of nice girls in coffee shops.
Up next for you: Leonard Cohen.
Yes, indeed to the above comment. My love for Leonard Cohen made it possible for me to appreciate Tom Waits’ voice on very short (and, sadly, still very limited) acquaintance. And he is pretty much the best songwriter I’ve come across.