The Tom Waits Project: #9. "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)

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: "Swordfishtrombones"

Release Date: September 1983

Label: Island Records

Certifications: N/A

Singles: 

-"In the Neighborhood"

Track List:

1. "Underground"
2. "Shore Leave"
3. "Dave the Butcher"
4. "Johnsburg, Illinois"
5. "16 Shells From A 30.6"
6. "Town With No Cheer"
7. "In the Neighbourhood"
8. "Just Another Sucker On the Vine"
9. "Frank's Wild Years"
10. "Swordfishtrombone"
11. "Down, Down, Down"
12. "Soldier's Things"
13. "Gin Soaked Boy"
14. "Trouble's Braids"
15. "Rainbirds"

*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.

"Underground"

How sweet it is to hear Tom Waits finally embracing his weird and experimental side. While everything he's done before has been interesting and shown an artist evolving, this is where the Waits that contemporary audiences know and love begins. With the baroque pop, he discusses a world underground that goes on while we sleep. It's an odd two-minute ditty that doesn't really make sense, but it is compelling and finds the singer once again putting on his deep voice with the intent of making his music as surreal as possible. It's an exciting start to the album, even if it's a bit understated in nature. Still, hopefully, this is the start to a dig into the creative side of a genius who is only getting better with age.

"Shore Leave"

In a lot of ways, it's only the setting of Waits' music that has changed. Here he remains that lonely man at a bar. The only difference is that he's far away from home. He still misses his girl, but he passes the time by dealing with the strange miscreants that fill this room. He talks baseball, plays cards that have pictures of girls on them. The vivid detail fills the song with personality and a sense of sadness underneath. It's a fully fleshed out song that makes this shore leave visit feel more like an obligation than one of desire. It's a nice twist on the idea of going to shore for normalcy and happiness. Waits is once again in top form here, especially as the instruments recreate the sound of a shack that's barely holding together before Waits breaks out into a cry of loneliness that ends the track.

"Dave the Butcher"

It's unclear who exactly Dave the Butcher is in this context. However, a lot can be assumed by the use of the organ in this track. In some ways, it sounds like a demented carnival, as if there are some demons underneath this happy man. There's also a sense of clanging that is going on underneath as if they're scratching to get out and butcher something besides (presumably) deli meat. There's so much to be taken away from this track, and it comes with a pretty neat trick that does its best to get joyful and uncomfortable at the same time. It's a fun side of Waits that will hopefully continue to resonate throughout the album. It's clever fun with no more than a title and a slightly out of tune instrumentation.

"Johnsburg, Illinois"

It may not be the most exciting track on the album. In fact, it's among the shortest. However, this moment of respite allows for Waits to express a deeper vulnerability. Whereas the surrounding tracks qualify as these weird explorations of a society that maybe doesn't want him, we get a deeper sense here of who he is on this album and what exactly it is that he desires. There's so much to enjoy about this brief moment, from the serenading of the piano to the way that his hushed voice carries over his deepest, most beautiful thoughts. It's a nice little song, even if it is likely to leave the biggest impression on its audience.

"16 Shells From a 30.6"

As mentioned previously, it's back to business as usual for Waits after a brief song of vulnerability. Once again, it's an interesting orchestration that goes from the instrumentation to the use of his voice. With a gruff persona on, he manages to convey the odd theme in a way that is compelling and even echoing through the hypnotic instrumentation. With a simple guitar riff playing over the sound of miners clanging away, it's a song that grows more interesting as the listener reads into every detail. It's an odd little song that is fun in its experimental nature and captures what makes this album so compelling overall. It's vivid imagery placed alongside some of Waits' most inspired instrumentation yet. He isn't doing the same old routine anymore. He's having fun, and his style will either appeal to you or not.

"Town With No Cheer"

With all of the build-up, Waits shifts his tone once again on the album. While the opening sounds like the closing chords of the previous track with the miners digging away, its transition into bagpipes adds a certain melancholic vibe that plays throughout the back half of the song. There's a sense of sadness as Waits recounts how miserable the town on the hill is. It is, after all, the town with no cheer. There's nothing exciting to see there, and one has to wonder why anyone would visit. There's a sense of emptiness in this song that works well with the instrumentation, and the vivid picture that Waits portrays only adds to things in ways that are satisfying, if a bit bittersweet.

"In the Neighbourhood"

On one hand, this is among Waits' vaguest songs ever. There's not really a central character nor is he really focusing on human emotion. instead, he is presenting the vision of a rundown city that has a lot of problems. Thankfully, there's a lot of powerful imagery in there as well, especially when it comes to an ice cream shop that burned down, or how the streets constantly need to be repaved. There's a sense of despair in everyone who lives in the neighborhood, even if there's no one perspective to speak of. It helps that Waits also manages to make it have a lullaby feel as if creating a sense of ease for the audience that is driving down the streets, pointing and asking questions at every odd sight. It has a subdued rhythm, though the chorus works effectively at capturing something that appears joyful, but is in desperate need of repair and a better sense of purpose. You can understand why people there are miserable, if just because nothing good seems to last there.

"Just Another Sucker on the Vine"

Once again, it's time for another instrumental track. What is appealing about Waits' decisions on this album is that they're rarely obvious but always seem to fit rhythmically with what came before. In this case, he uses an accordion to guide the ennui of the track through a reflection of the previous track. The past few songs have existed in a sense of misery, so it makes sense that the overall vibe would be one driven by sadness. However, the slight upticks at the end of each measure manage to create optimism that makes it work as something more positive. There's power in it, even if the track as a whole is a bit understated. It doesn't have much going on, but it does capture a sense of longing in its sadness that definitely fits with the overall vibe of the album.

"Frank's Wild Years"

What's odd about this one is that the title will come back in two albums, yet the song is present here, four years before it exists. However, it's fun to hear Waits back at the monologues, creating a world that wouldn't work within the realm of song. There's not much that is known about Frank outside of this track, but there's the sense that he is a wild man. He buys liquor and torches the place. For what reason? Who knows. It's a compelling story and one that seems driven by chaos even as Waits' voice remains calm over an organ. It's got a noir vibe that is given an electric feel, and maybe has a sense of humor underneath. After all, it ends with him putting on the radio and complaining about his dog. There's no real point beyond that. Maybe it's all a punchline. Who knows. Still, it's such a delightful piece of absurdity from Waits that shows that he's still got a knack for these monologue things.

"Swordfishtrombone"

While the previous song has the odd choice of being the name of a later album, this is the one that gives its name to this one. What's great about the song is how it uses a xylophone to create this eerie undertone. It doesn't have much of a melody to speak of, but it works with Waits slow and conniving voice, revealing a story that is grandiose and odd in all of the ways that we've come to expect. He's a natural born storyteller, and it comes across in how he uses his voice in ways of drawing the audience in. You're left holding onto every word. When he says that any bigger story would have to be a lie, it's all part of an amusing con that works in the song's favor, and it plays to the weirdness that comes with his laugh. There's a lot to enjoy about the detail, and it explains why everything on this album has such an esoteric and unique vibe, especially when compared to his other work.

"Down, Down, Down"

Following a long stretch of oddball songs that exist in a key of melancholy, it feels nice to be back into an upbeat sort of style. It's true that Waits cannot just give audiences something fun and poppy. Instead, it's got an organ and a drum leading a song that, in a little over two minutes, manages to get audiences dancing as he shares another oddball story. In some ways, it's the album's most disposable song. However, if you dig into the subtext of the song it actually becomes more compelling. Maybe it's a transition into the final stretches more upbeat and happy side of the coin. It's hard to tell. For now, it's a nice blast of fresh air after being stuck in a dreary mode for so long.

"Soldier's Things"

Once again, Waits is fine pulling a surprise pull on the audience. Following the most upbeat song on the album is a song about a soldier. It's got a bit of a sad vibe to everything, and there's an underlying sense that he'll commit suicide. One has to wonder what it all means as he rattles off everything in his possessions. There has to be a bigger story of how these things created a man. Instead, they create a portrait of desperation, in which a soldier must sell everything for a dollar in order to survive. One has to wonder what lies beyond selling this stuff when he must fend for himself and have nothing to sell. Will suicide be his only option then? It's hard to really tell. 

"Gin Soaked Boy"

At long last, Waits returns to the blues. The only thing that's really different is that this is more of a scuzzy blues, where the guitar is more distorted and plays nasty hooks. It makes sense for a track that is all about a man who is having trouble appealing to his woman as he gets out of bed, likely hungover, and trying to make the day matter at all. Still, it's great to hear Waits sing in a bit of a hazy voice where it feels like he's trying to make a good impression and failing miserably. There's a lot in the way that he plays with a guitar that makes his struggles all the more apparent, leaving someone who probably doesn't deserve any forgiveness. 

"Trouble's Braids"

As far as penultimate songs go, this feels like one of the more esoteric selections that Waits has ever gone with. Still, there's something to be said for a song that is all about messing with trouble by metaphorically pulling on braids. The whole album is about the struggle to be good in a society that pushes people into trouble. It helps that in the short span of time that the instrumentation sounds like trouble on the verge of going haywire. This comes through in the way that the upright bass manages to have a woozy feel as the percussive instruments clang away, trying to keep from losing their mind. Trouble feels like it's about to spark from the way that the instruments clang, and it's exciting even if nothing necessarily wild happens in the song.

"Rainbirds"

After an album that is borderline chaos, there's a lot to wonder about ending the album on such a sweet note. It doesn't help that it follows a song that feels like it's on the verge of a storm. Still, there's a sense of beauty in everything that comes through. The chaos may cause certain kinds of depression, but at the end of the day, life is bittersweet. Everyone is struggling to get by and the joys in their life are often simple. There's not much to the tale beyond that, and it's likely why this album that has gone to such strange places both lyrically and musically ends on such a familiar note. It may be dangerous, but it's home. Also, there's an off chance that the title of this track is again alluding to a future Waits project called "Rain Dogs." While it's not as deliberate as "Frank's Wild Years," one has to wonder if this was intentional or not, especially given how the piano here plays nicely into the opening of that album.

Closing Remarks

On one hand, it's incredible to finally be at this point in Waits' career. There's been a lot to love over the albums, but what has always made him appealing was how he experimented with instrumentation. Having listened to eight other albums at this point, it's not nearly as revolutionary as I would've expected, but it does make for a more satisfying sonic listen than what came before. It's more interesting from track to track and has so much to offer in the way of music. Considering that the next two albums are supposedly part of a "trilogy," it will be interesting to see how things connect and make this vision all the grander. It isn't my favorite of what we've heard so far, but it's the one that makes me most excited about what lies ahead for Waits as an artist.

Coming Up Next: "Rain Dogs" (1985)

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. "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)
3. "Small Change" (1976)
4. "Heartattack and Vine" (1980)
5. "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
6. "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
7. "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
8. "Closing Time" (1973)
9. "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. "Shore Leave" from "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)
6. "Potters Field" from "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
7. "Eggs and Sausage" from "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
8. "Please Call Me Baby" from "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
9. "Picking Up After You" from "One From the Heart" (1982)