There are few artists who have had as enjoyably weird of a career as that of Tom Waits. With a career spanning over 45 years, he has reinvented himself countless times while providing some of rock's strangest, most eclectic tunes imaginable. Over the course of 2019, my goal with The Tom Waits Project is to explore every single one of his studio albums as well as live albums and soundtracks (no compilations) and chart the shifts in his career as well as hopefully understand what makes him so ubiquitous in pop culture. He's an artist who has always been there, making things weird, but there's a good chance you haven't truly noticed him. Here's your chance to join me every other Wednesday on a quest to find out what makes him so special.
Album: "Closing Time"
Release Date: March 6, 1973
Label: Asylum Records
Certifications: Gold in U.K. (500,000 copies sold)
Singles:
"Ol' 55"
Track List:
1. "Ol' 55"
2. "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You"
3. "Virginia Avenue"
4. "Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)"
5. "Midnight Lullaby"
6. "Martha"
7. "Rosie"
8. "Lonely"
9. "Ice Cream Man"
10. "Little Trip to Heaven (On the Wings of Your Love)"
11. "Grapefruit Moon"
12. "Closing Time"
*NOTE: Listen to it here.
Covers
"Martha" - Tim Buckley (from "Sefronia")
"Martha" - Bette Midler (on Saturday Night Live)
"Martha" - Meat Lofe (from "Welcome to the Neighborhood")
"Ol '55" - The Eagles (from "On the Border")
"Rosie" - The Beat Farmers (from "The Pursuit of Happiness")
"Ice Cream Man" - Screamin' Jay Hawkins (from "Black Music for White People")
"Lonely" - Bats for Lashes (from "Two Suns")
"I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" - 10,000 Maniacs (from "Step Right Up")
"I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" - Marc Cohn (from The Prince and Me soundtrack)
"I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" - Hootie & the Blowfish (from "Scattered, Smothered, and Covered")
"Heart and Soul" - Jon Bon Jovi (on Ally McBeal)
Track Analysis
This section is a song by song breakdown in hopes of understanding what makes each song special in his catalog. Other things considered will include best song, most interesting standout, and other fields deemed relevant to the album.
"Ol' 55"
Well, this is where it all starts for Tom Waits. Not only is this the first song from the album, but it's his sole single from the album. Along with being covered by The Eagles later, the song has a fairly conventional charm given the career that Waits will come to acquire. With that said, it starts with a beautiful, melancholic piano melody that is all too familiar with his later ballads. His voice has yet to reach the recognizable gruff, though his lonesome undertones are already on full display as he reminisces on life in the only way he knows how. The chorus is an infectious and simple one, with a lot of love paid to the ol' 55. It's not a strong representation of what's to come, but in a time where could've been more of a conventional singer like Billy Joel, this is a pretty promising start.
"I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You Tonight"
Again, it's difficult to fully appreciate Tom Waits' early work because of how different his career would become. However, there's a lot on display here that once again shows the path almost taken. Despite being a song that feels like it's set in a lonely, seedy bar it manages to have a tenderness and longing for love from others. There's power to the simple melodies that are strummed on the guitar. It's a bit corny in how it paints the portrait of a man seeking attention from someone, though the twist that he doesn't want to fall in love adds a nice touch. He's simply there to have someone to talk to. Even if it doesn't sound like Waits in the conventional sense, it still manages to capture the weary traveler persona that he will develop thanks to simple ideas such as pulling up a chair, as if he's arriving randomly in a place.
"Virginia Avenue"
What is probably most noteworthy about this song is the strong presence of the upright bass. It would become a staple of his later work, and the walking bass line adds a nice flow to this blues number. In a different career, Waits could've gotten by entirely as a blues singer, and his angst would totally fit each track. The song's rhythm is what keeps it interesting, especially as it captures a man walking down the street. It's a fine song and continued evidence of where Waits was and where he'd end up, but it's probably the least exciting and understated song on the album so far. It's good, but it feels like it ends without much exciting happening.
"Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)"
What's been interesting about the first four songs so far is how they explore different genres of music while maintaining a distinct tone. In this case, Waits approaches the song with a subtle bluegrass inspiration that elevates the melancholy to a far more upbeat tone. As much as the song's text is saddening, the approach has plenty of hope and captures an optimism in large part thanks to another clever chorus and vocal arrangement. It's another standout on the album, and one that once again shows a potential path that Waits could've veered off onto if he chose to become more of a bluegrass artist, which is kind of true though is more infused with the other styles already heard here.
"Midnight Lullaby"
In a strange way, this is Waits' most clever song so far on the album, and it owes a lot to his persona mixing with this innocence of a children's lullaby. The song cleverly ends with "Mockingbird" played out on a piano in such an innocent way that it becomes sweet. Thankfully the love song around it is all sorts of beautiful without falling into something saccharine. There's plenty to enjoy here, especially as this sleepy tune that lulls the listener into a peacefulness, even as Waits' lyrics capture something that is more adult, vulnerable, and reflective of a wandering traveler looking for acceptance.
"Martha"
While this album has been disconcerting in the sense that it doesn't reflect the later Waits, what is fascinating is how good he was as a typical lounge singer, but with a deep sense of loneliness put into every note. It's especially true when he brings out the piano and sings some of his saddest, most self-reflexive tunes. There's power to this song in large part because its melody is so simple, but what is captured inside is a sense of aging that looks back on a life that may be imperfect, but one rooted deep down in a preexisting fondness. It ends abruptly with the image of Martha and Waits shaking, which contradicts the upbeat imagery but manages to convey that there's more going on than the happiness that could be alluded to. It's probably the best song on the album, if just for how it mixes joy with heartache in such a nuanced yet simple fashion.
"Rosie"
As the album continues, it gets tougher to appreciate the roots in part because they're not as interesting as where things will go. In this case it's a bit of a tough call because I spent the entire song once again thinking that this would be a more interesting Joe Cocker or Bob Seger song. It's not a bad thing and it reflects just how open Waits as a musician was. However, the song's slow pace is only saved by the chorus' memorable melody and the underlying piano melody. It's a fine song otherwise, but it's not as interesting as the other songs heard on this album. There's so much ingenuity even in these lounge act songs that you can't help but wish that this could've had either more vivid imagery or a little bridge that twisted things up. It's fine, but it's far from the best that this album has provided so far.
"Lonely"
Once again, it's tough to love the nuance of the music when compared to his later work. On the surface, this is the least interesting song on the album. It's merely Waits singing about how lonely he is as a piano plays. However, the execution is fairly interesting especially with the piano being the lone instrument playing in a room that sounds hollowed out, as if he's being serious. There's nobody else in his life for these three minutes, and it adds an ache to the entire experience. For all of the lack of hooks or noticeable melodies, it's definitely a song that feels the most like it conveys the subject of its song, at least next to "Midnight Lullaby." It's a bit of an understated song, but it achieves the needed effect to make it stand out on the album.
"Ice Cream Man"
On one hand, this song feels like it was placed 10 tracks in because it was a much needed boost of adrenaline after the sleepy vibe of the previous nine songs. It can't help but stand out on the album if just because of how much of a novelty it is both to the music it accompanies, but Waits' bigger career. While he would write upbeat songs, this feels so rooted in a tongue-in-cheek vibe akin to Jerry Lee Lewis that it once again feels indistinct from the career he would take. It's still one of the funnest songs on the entire album and breaks out into a goofy vibe quickly with a catchy jingling of the bells. It's not quite a song that works with the lounge act around it, but it's a nice change of pace. I just wish it was more indicative of the artist that would be instead of just being another impersonal track.
"Little Trip to Heaven (On the Wings of Your Love)"
There is a bit of irony in this album going from the most upbeat and enjoyable song to one of its sleepiest and probably least memorable. While it's great to hear a song once again being lead by a jazz trumpet, there's not a lot here that's particularly memorable underneath. It's a filler track that feels designed that way from the title down. There's not a lot to hate here, but it sort of just ends with a sense of peace over the listener, as if the past three minutes weren't all that bad. It's what would play in the closing moments of a bar, when it doesn't really matter what's playing so long as something is keeping the background filled with sound.
"Grapefruit Moon"
In the penultimate song, things start to pick up again, and with a song featuring the most memorable title. It's an image that sticks with the listener and reflects the lyrical creativity Waits would later adopt. For now, it serves as the perfect starting point for another melancholic ballad about staring up at the sky late at night. Unlike other songs that sputter aimlessly, this one feels personal, as if holding a depth that will only be understood upon relistening while staring at your own grapefruit moon. It also helps that the piano melody is so perfectly crafted with descending melodies played at just the right moments. The breakdown is just as effective and creates one of the most emotional songs on the entire album. It's a nice way to conclude the album, with an unassuming gem that never lets up its heart or creativity.
"Closing Time"
In a pretty brilliant move that makes me think this works as a concept album as well as a series of songs, Waits ends the entire album with a four minute long musical track that mostly highlights the bluesy tone of the album. It feels like we're just sitting there, listening to the music as people are shuffling out of the bar for the evening. It also helps to emphasize this album's overall biggest strength. Waits' ability to compose melodies that can be subdued but meaningful is enough to make this album a bit better than is nature would suggest. You could hear this performed in any bar and not feel out of place. It may seem a bit odd when compared to what Waits will become, but it works at completing the atmosphere of the album.
Closing Remarks
A lot of this project is meant for me to explore the evolution of Waits. As someone not familiar with his early work, it's interesting to note how different this all feels. He still has what can be deemed a normal voice, and he manages to still convey an emotion in every song that is reminiscent of his later work. There's not a lot of flat out masterpieces on this, but there's plenty of room to see where he goes. With that said, I'm not a fan of how this album feels like it could veer into any and every direction that was trendy at the time, whether it be blues and jazz or rockabilly. It's a good debut that never gets dull, but the one thing that I hope going forward is that there's more authenticity and focus in what Waits wants to do with his career. There's plenty to love here and he's already composing heart-piercing songs that are surprisingly covered several times over, but it still feels out of place in the grander picture.
Coming Up Next: "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
Album Rankings
This section is dedicated to ranking the albums from best to worst in hopes of finding which Tom Waits album is the best.
1. "Closing Time" (1973)
Song Rankings
This section is dedicated to finding the best songs from each album and comparing them to each other in a hopes of finding which one is Tom Waits' best song.
1. "Martha" from "Closing Time" (1973)
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