Tom Waits Songs Ranked
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during the 1970s, but his music since the 1980s has reflected greater influence from blues, rock, vaudeville, and experimental genres. His first albums were the jazz-oriented Closing Time (1973) and The Heart of Saturday Night (1974), which reflected his lyrical interest in nightlife, poverty, and criminality. He repeatedly toured the United States, Europe, and Japan, and attracted greater critical recognition and commercial success with Small Change (1976), Blue Valentine (1978), and Heartattack and Vine (1980). Despite a lack of mainstream commercial success, Waits has influenced many musicians and gained an international cult following. In 2011, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2015, he was ranked at No. 55 on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time”. Several biographies have also been written about him. Here are all of Tom Waits songs ranked.
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15. Ice Cream Man (Closing Time, 1973)
“Good song for listening to. Got it for poker night, and made out my play list with it included. Sounds great! One of my favorites from the first album. Gives you a glimpse on what direction Tom went latter on.”
14. Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis (Blue Valentine, 1978)
“This song is adapted from a CHARLES BUKOWSKI poem, pretty much word for word. Tom didn’t write it. It is one of the greatest songs ever. If you’ve never heard of Bukowski “Charlie I’m pregnant”, I suggest you start with ROOMINGHOUSE MADRIGALS. The journey begins there, and then you will understand the “works down at the track” part as well as the general “surprise ending” part that so many Tom Waits songs and Bukowski poems have in common. Read Bukowski and Listen to Tom Waits. It will change your life.”
13. To Traubert’s Blues (Small Change, 1976)
“It’s about men who travel the world to get over a woman. A guy is somewhere far from home, out of money and still battling his heartache, and he sees a lot of men like himself. One of the Waits’ greatest songs, I think. His manager at the time cried the first time he read/heard it, and called it the greatest piece of poetry ever written.”
12. In the Neighborhood (Swordfishtrombones, 1983)
“In the Neighborhood” that arguably stands as the album’s emotional peak. Waits’ portrait of said neighborhood only seems to focus on elements of annoyance, but the track’s warm horn/percussion arrangement sounds like nothing less than a celebration of home – flaws and all.”
See more: Tom Waits Albums Ranked
11. Innocent When You Dream (Franks Wild Years, 1987)
“I heard “Innocent when you dream” some time ago at the end of the movie “SMOKE”. The voice of Tom Watts haunted me for years but I could not remember the name of the movie to find his name in the credits.”
10. Downtown Train (Rain Dogs, 1985)
“Through Rod Stewart’s city-slicker cover, this is probably Tom Waits’ best known song, I’d wager. Waits’ own version is more city-hobo, with everything about it from the vocal on down sounding more rough and ramshackle, something indeed Stewart’s own great early records used to sound. The lyric here is better than the tune with so many great takeaways, like the yellow moon punching a hole in the night, that shiny new dime and of course, those Brooklyn girls…”
9. I Don’t Wanna Grow Up (Bone Machine, 1992)
“While Bone Machine is a decidedly bleak affair, its highlight is one of the most “playful” songs in Waits’ career. Though “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” is laced with melancholy, there’s a softness at its core that makes it an especially endearing track. From the perspective of a child, Waits laments a future full of responsibilities and regret. It’s particularly affecting coming from a singer who had built his entire career on songs about those who had been beaten down by the harsh cruelties of adulthood.”
8. Little Drop of Poison (The End of Violence, 1997)
“The lyrics above are pertain to the original version of the song, which was recorded in 1997 for the soundtrack to the film “End of Violence”. Waits rerecorded this song in 2003 for “Shrek2″, with a slightly different arrangement (my favorite being the latter). the lyric arrangements are different in the new version.”
7. Way Down in the Hole (Franks Wild Years, 1987)
“If you watch the HBO series, “The Wire,” then you already know that this song is the show’s theme. For season one, they used an excellent cover version by the Blind Boys of Alabama. For season two, they changed it up and used the original version by Tom. Season three starts this fall, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll do with it next!”
6. Martha (Studio Brussel – De Tijdloze, 2014)
“My favourite part of this song is when he sings “you know that I got married too”. I dont know why I like it so much. It just shows how far apart he and this girl ended up, yet he always felt something special for her. You know, there is an Irish singer called Duke Special who does a beautiful version of this, you can see it on you tube. I think his version is even better cos he sings it with more emotion than Tom Waits.”
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5. Chocolate Jesus (Mule Variations, 1999)
“I don’t see a man laughing at Christianity as much as I see a man lashing out at Christians. Waits has lots of songs with heavy spiritual and even Christian-like undertones, but one can also see a total disillusionment with what he obviously sees from the masses who call themselves Christians, but are so obviously using the religion as a self-help tactic instead of a mode of worshipful commitment to the God they claim to love.”
4. God’s Away On Business (Woyzeck, 2002)
“On a more specific scale this deals with the Enron crisis, and on a more poetic scale, all crises. Waits is definitely trying to emphasize that we are ALONE in trying to solve these huge profit-motivated disasters. Tom Waits is a fucking genius.”
3. I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You (Closing Time, 1973)
“This is one of the very few songs I’ve ever heard where I can actually feel chemistry between two people, I don’t know how to explain it, this song just makes me so happy. It’s like two ordinary, middle-aged people experiencing love at first sight in a bar, and I always thought the way Tom sings the line “The guy your with he’s up and split, the chair next to you is free” was so hopeful like he really depended on it. I adore this song!”
2. Jockey Full of Bourbon (Rain Dogs, 1985)
“My thoughts are that the song is about a cabby who inadvertently ferried a mobster or hit-man around town. Only after a crime was committed did the cabby realize what was up but it was too late to back out. He then got blind drunk to ease his conscience. The lyrics represent his statement to the police while in a drunken stupor.”
1. Hold On (Mule Variations, 1999)
“Tom Waits does another beautiful, romantic song, for the usually-don’t-like-Tom-Waits crew. When he strays from his usual, he doesn’t stray from quality. I think this is my favorite song by Tom Waits. Plus it reminds me of the Walking Dead, so how can you go wrong with that?”