The Tom Waits Project: #8. "One From the Heart" (1982) - Featuring Crystal Gale

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: "One From the Heart"

Release Date: February 1982

Label: CBS Records

Certifications: N/A

Singles: 

-N/A 

Track List:

1. "Opening Montage (Tom's Piano Intro/Once Upon a Town/The Wages of Love)"
2. "Is There Any Way Out of This Dream?
3. "Picking Up After You"
4. "Old Boyfriends"
5. "Broken Bicycles"
6. "I Beg Your Pardon"
7. "Little Boy Blue"
8. "Instrumental Montage (The Tango/Circus Girl)"
9. "You Can't Unring a Bell"
10. "This One's from the Heart"
11. "Take Me Home"
12. "Presents (Instrumental)"

*NOTE: Listen to it here.

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.

"Opening Montage (Tom's Piano Intro/Once Upon a Town/The Wages of Love)"

After making a strong case for himself as an artist in the 70's, it does feel like Tom Waits is approaching the 80's with a bit more of creativity. Yes, "Heartattack and Vine" did plenty to strengthen his reputation, but there's something even more appealing about him doing an esoteric musical for Francis Ford Coppola of all people. Add in singer Crystal Gayle for a jazzy duet, and this becomes a very interesting take on the genre and manages to booze it up in all of the ways that Waits is known for. There's plenty of humanity behind every decision, and even if this is a "montage" as it's called, it manages to cover a lot of ground at establishing themes that will continue to be explored throughout the rest of the soundtrack.

"Is There Any Way Out of This Dream?"

For those who aren't aware of One From the Heart, the film is presented from two perspectives. With the woman being embodied by Crystal Gayle, this is a song that reflects the woman's perspective in the film. There's misery to it, even if the upbeat music seems to have a longing. It's a creative desire to get out of the situation that she's in. The soundtrack as a whole is a bit divisive, but the jazzy way that she sings with passion manages to make her at least a compelling force within the soundtrack, making one long for this woman to be free of her conflicts. It's beautiful and simple in all the right ways.

"Picking Up After You"

Nowhere does it seem more apparent that Waits and Gayle wrote their lyrics individually than it is here. For those who have been paying close attention to Waits, there's a lot of hallmark moments of his proverbial wit on display. He quotes traditional music ("Here comes the bride, there goes the groom") and even makes other moments that are humorous ("How long have you been brushing your hair with a wrench?") There's an off chance that this is a collaborative effort, but Gayle's lyrics are much more refined and less rooted in this masculine depravity that Waits likes to revel in. It's fine and fits the piece, though it also means that Gayle is far less interesting on the song than Waits is. It's true that she's trying to get away from him and sometimes it requires being more refined, but it still feels like there's a lyrical divide that may create conflicts later in the album. 

"Old Boyfriends"

Gayle returns with another one of her self-reflecting songs. This time she looks back at her past over a piano that is beautiful and simple. She wants to know why she keeps falling for these men, and it consumes her thought. Maybe one of the issues with Gayle's side of the soundtrack isn't so much the lyrics, but that she doesn't feel like she's doing as much interesting vocally with the material. Sure, there's a sense of longing in her voice, but the tone hasn't really changed from song to song. Waits may be a victim to this too, but as a whole, this feels like a song that hits all of the marks necessary to get the point across without really covering anything deeper or more interesting within the film. Maybe it works better with the footage playing behind it. Either way, Gayle leaves some things to be desired. 

"Broken Bicycles"

Waits returns with another song full of rich metaphor and misery. To some extent, this is where the album's issues are starting to show. It isn't so much that Waits or Gayle are having issues singing, but that as a standalone soundtrack it's lacking something grander. Yes, this does have a brief piano melody that works to enhance the song, but the quiet Waits really doesn't add anything to the overall song here. It's somber and reflects a sad man, but it doesn't make the song any better. If anything, it makes it a tad more subdued, and it's all resulting in something that may be great on film but is a bit too quiet and sleepy on record.

"I Beg Your Pardon"

Another quiet song about looking back on your life. Waits is once again doing his schtick in a manner that would work if the song had any backbone. Yes, the jazz does add a little flavor to the overall aesthetic. However, there's something missing outside of the chorus. He manages to use the title phrase effective to establish his point, but everything else kind of feels like it wafts away into something less memorable. It's a fine song, but again this soundtrack is lacking any real energy as standalone music. It all has the same self-reflecting misery that is fine if the music was changed up every few tracks, but here just manages to sound too sleepy the entire way through.

"Little Boy Blue"

Over halfway through the soundtrack, and it finally feels like something interesting is going on. Again, there is Waits referencing traditional music with "Little Boy Blue," but this time he manages to apply it to a frisky lifestyle where you unbutton collars and go looking for a good time. It helps that he's got a rhythm to his voice that is hypnotic, managing to capture something upbeat and engaging on a very lacking soundtrack. Also in effect is the perfect use of an organ, which finishes the song on a high note as this slowly becomes a song full of energy and mystery, wondering what exactly lies ahead for these characters. Everyone is out looking for a good time, but let's hope the remainder of the music is as well.

"Instrumental Montage (The Tango/Circus Girl)"

This is a quick musical track that doesn't feature Waits or Gayle. There's not much to really say about it other than it gives the soundtrack a bit of personality. While most of it is centered around "The Tango" half of the montage, "Circus Girl" has some promising moments and sets up whatever's next with a little flavor. It may not have much going for it, but one can hope that it continues to get more interesting from here.

"You Can't Unring a Bell"

Waits is back with another song that is sonically interesting. In keeping with the theme of bells, the song incorporates loud and intrusive drums in order to create a sense of panic. If anything, it manages to create an urgency that is subdued by Waits' low voice that sings about the trouble with unringing bells. It's a true statement, leaving one to wonder what has happened when the bell was run and what all that energy means. Something is going on, and it's going to be exciting to find out what exactly that is.

"This One's from the Heart"

In the grand scheme of things, this is the titular song and everything that the soundtrack has been building to. While it may not be the most exciting song, it definitely has the most passion of anything on here. Waits and Gayle trade verses as they sing about living in this city with certain concerns. Are they hearing sirens or instruments play in the distance? There's a desire to rekindle passion, finding something from the heart to restore their bond. There's plenty of love and passion here that makes the desire for a happy ending ring true. It may not be the most exciting song on the album, but it's the closest that this jazz approach has come to making a significant impact on the entire soundtrack.

"Take Me Home"

There's plenty that's a bit redundant in this song from the previous. For starters, the establishment of love is already clear, and there's a certain desire to be together that definitely was reflected through the music. While it likely works with the plot, Gayle's choice to sing a song about how she's in love and wants to go home with a silly boy doesn't really add much this late in the game. It's a fun enough song otherwise, but one could've hoped that this was better insinuated than needed to be sung about. Still, it was short and to the point, so one can't complain all that much.

"Presents (Instrumental)"

Again, it's a cute enough instrumental. There's definitely a trinket vibe to everything that makes it sound like a cute and happy ending. There isn't much to it, especially since it's a track that lasts less than a minute. Still, there's plenty to appreciate as a way to end the album. It gives a sense of optimism and conclusion to the unique tale of romance. It may be far from perfect, but at least it ends on a note that is sentimental and sweet.

Closing Remarks

Going into this album, I had a bit of higher expectations than what I ended up getting. This is mostly because I was a fan of the film One From the Heart and felt that it reflected Francis Ford Coppola at an interesting point in his career. However, it's been a few years and I'm not entirely sure how all the songs sync up. I now feel like they don't work on their own and this is as weak as some people say. There have been complaints that it's a soundtrack that merely says what's going on, but that doesn't bother me. It's more that it sticks to a melody that isn't always fun and doesn't really push the soundtrack in interesting directions. It's fine but leaves a lot to be desired. I, unfortunately, have to say that it's among Waits' least interesting albums, though it may be among his most interesting projects when placed in the context of the film.

Coming Up Next: "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)

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. "Blue Valentine" (1978)
2. "Small Change" (1976)
3. "Heartattack and Vine" (1980)
4. "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
5. "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
6. "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
7. "Closing Time" (1973)
8. "One From the Heart" (1982)

Song Rankings

This section is dedicated to finding the best songs from each album and comparing them to each other in hopes of finding which one is Tom Waits' best song.

1. "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard" from "Blue Valentine" (1978)
2. "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" from "Small Change" (1976)
3. "Martha" from "Closing Time" (1973)
4. "Jersey Girl" from "Heartattack and Vine" (1980)
5. "Potters Field" from "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
6. "Eggs and Sausage" from "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
7. "Please Call Me Baby" from "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
8. "Picking Up After You" from "One From the Heart" (1982)