He started his career in the early 1970s as a singer in spit 'n' sawdust bars. Initially, he was deeply influenced by the beat generation, novelists like Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, and poets like Allen Ginsberg and Charles Bukowski. Waits is often compared to Charles Bukowski, being similar both in content and lifestyle
Waits was unable to make a living from his music in the 70s because his classical bar music, based in pre-rock, and Americana, blues, and Vaudeville styles were not popular. Waits's voice back then was soft, warm and clear.
Waits subsequently developed a devoted cult following and has influenced subsequent songwriters, despite having little radio or music video support. In fact, his songs are perhaps best known to the general public in the form of cover versions of more visible artists, such as the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart.
Although Waits’s albums have met with mixed commercial success in his native United States, they have occasionally achieved gold album sales status in other countries.
Lyrically, Waits's songs are known for atmospheric portrayals of seedy characters and places; he sings about the losers on the streets: alcoholics, junkies, prostitutes and social outcasts, although he also includes more conventional and touching ballads in his repertoire.
While opening for Frank Zappa, the audience catcalled and refused to listen to him; he was an unsuitable match with Zappa's avantgarde style.
Countless cigarettes, gallons of alcohol and many all night parties eventually left their trace in his face and voice.
His more recent gravelly voice can be first heard on Small Change. This distinctive voice turned out to be his trademark. It is described by the Music Hound Rock Album Guide 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". Small Change with its sentimental ballads, its bar-jazz attitude and Film Noir-oriented stories turned out to be his biggest commercial success in the 1970s.
Waits subsequently developed a more unique style. His songs have grown more abrasive since then, and the arrangements have turned more surreal and experimental with every new record. His life brings him to new visions, as indicated by the direction taken in his "Alice" release.
While composing the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola's One From The Heart Waits met Kathleen Brennan, his bride-to-be. They married in 1980 and she helped him quit drinking and smoking. Since their marriage they have been working together on his albums as co-producers and co-writers. It is hard to say which part belongs to her and which to him, but it's easy to see that they make a perfect team. Additionally, his eldest son Casey can be heard on turntables and percussion on Waits's album "Real Gone".
One of Waits's greatest successes was the album "Swordfishtrombones", released in 1983. It struck with his critics and fans alike. He achieved a new level of song writing and left former conventions (and his earlier career) behind. All songs, whether ballads, jive or jazz are played in a completely different way. It seems that Waits had taken the musical archetypes of these styles and made them his own. All tracks are in the quintessential Waits style. They have a striking rawness and listenability and they set the stage for his success and his future career.
The Bad As Me Songfacts reports that 36 years after the release of Waits' first album, Closing Time in 1973, Bad As Me became Waits's first ever top 10 album in the US when it debuted at #6 with 63,000 sales.
In the late 1980s Waits discovered an outlet for his creativity in composing musicals. His first Musical was named "The Black Rider", and is based on "Der Freischütz" by Carl Maria von Weber. It was co-produced by Robert Wilson and the lyrics come from William S. Burroughs. The story is slightly reminiscent of Kurt Weil's and Berthold Brecht's "Three Penny Opera" and the 1930s. The debut performance of the play was in 1990 at the Thalia Theater, Hamburg and has been played by various theatre groups since then.
Waits was also responsible for two other musicals, which later became albums released simultaneously in 2002. One was the musical "Blood Money," which covers the "Woyczek" theme of Georg Büchner. This one is one of the darkest works from Waits. The other musical is based on Lewis Carroll's classic children's novel, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". "Alice" is very romantic, dreamy and soft, and contains one of Waits most romantic songs. Even though they were released at the same time, the bootlegs of the "Alice" musical were long before traded between fans and were just rearranged and re-mastered for the official release.
Besides many film contributions as composer – the Internet Movie Database imdb.com lists 47 appearances of Waits as composer and 38 soundtracks containing songs by Waits - he also is an actor with a total of 25 appearances, ranging from some mini-roles as a trumpeter in "Heart of Saturday Night" and the R. M. Renfield in "Bram Stoker's Dracula" to the major role of Zack in Jim Jarmusch's "Down by Law". He recently appeared in Roberto Benigni's "The Tiger and the Snow", playing You Can Never Hold Back Spring at Benigni's wedding dream. Even more recently, Waits played Mr.Nick (the Devil) in Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus".
In addition to a number of concert videos, he also appeared in the critically-acclaimed concert feature film "Big Time" (1990).
Waits has always refused to allow the use of his songs in commercials. He has filed several lawsuits against advertisers for using his material without permission. Waits also successfully sued an advertiser for using a work that was stylistically similar to his work, after he had declined to sell them the rights to his song. He has been quoted as saying, "Apparently the highest compliment our culture grants artists nowadays is to be in an ad — ideally naked and purring on the hood of a new car. I have adamantly and repeatedly refused this dubious honor."
I Wish I Was in New Orleans
Tom Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Arm-in-arm down Burgundy, a bottle and my friends and me
Hoist up a few tall cool ones, play some pool and listen
To that tenor saxophone calling me home
And I can hear the band begin When the Saints Go Marching In,
And by the whiskers on my chin, New Orleans, I'll be there
The old haunts what I wants is red beans and rice
And wear the dress I like so well, and meet me at the old saloon,
Make sure that there's a Dixie moon, New Orleans, I'll be there
And deal the cards roll the dice, if it ain't that old Chuck E. Weiss,
And Claiborne Avenue, me and you Sam Jones and all
And I wish I was in New Orleans, 'cause I can see it in my dreams,
Arm-in-arm down Burgundy, a bottle and my friends and me
New Orleans, I'll be there
The song "I Wish I Was In New Orleans" by Tom Waits paints a vivid picture of the singer's longing for the city of New Orleans. To him, it is a place where he can be carefree and indulgent, enjoying the company of his friends and the music of the city.
The lyrics begin with the singer expressing his wish to be in New Orleans, which he can see in his dreams, walking arm-in-arm with his friends down Burgundy Street, with a bottle in hand. They would hoist up a few tall cool ones and play some pool, while listening to the tenor saxophone and jazz music calling him home. He can hear the band begin to play "When the Saints Go Marching In," a well-known jazz standard, and knows he needs to be there.
The lyrics continue with the singer's descriptions of what he wants to do when he gets to New Orleans. He wants to drink to excess, be red-nosed, and go for walks. He desires to visit the old haunts where he can find his favorite dish, red beans and rice, and wear his favorite dress while meeting his friends at the old saloon. He also wants to play cards and roll dice with his friends, specifically mentioning Chuck E. Weiss and Claiborne Avenue.
Overall, the song is a wistful expression of the singer's longing for a place where he can let go of his troubles and live in the moment, surrounded by friends, music, and indulgences.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I wish I was in New Orleans, I can see it in my dreams,
The persona longs to be in New Orleans which has been a recurrent dream of his.
Arm-in-arm down Burgundy, a bottle and my friends and me
He wishes to stroll down Burgundy Street with his friends, enjoying a bottle of wine.
Hoist up a few tall cool ones, play some pool and listen
The persona wants to enjoy some drinks and play pool while listening to music.
To that tenor saxophone calling me home
The sound of the tenor saxophone makes him feel at home.
And I can hear the band begin When the Saints Go Marching In,
He anticipates listening to the band play 'When the Saints Go Marching In'.
And by the whiskers on my chin, New Orleans, I'll be there
The persona is willing to make the journey to New Orleans and get there in any way possible.
I'll drink you under the table, be red-nosed, go for walks,
He intends to drink a lot and intoxicate himself, going for walks under the influence.
The old haunts what I wants is red beans and rice
He craves the experience of visiting familiar places in New Orleans and consuming their famous dish, red beans and rice.
And wear the dress I like so well, and meet me at the old saloon,
He wishes to wear his favorite dress while meeting his friends at a nostalgic bar in New Orleans.
Make sure that there's a Dixie moon, New Orleans, I'll be there
He wants to be in New Orleans during the Dixie moon phase, and he emphasizes that he will definitely be there.
And deal the cards roll the dice, if it ain't that old Chuck E. Weiss,
He wants to be engaged in gambling activities and mentions that it has to be with a particular person called Chuck E. Weiss.
And Claiborne Avenue, me and you Sam Jones and all
He wants to visit Claiborne Avenue with his friends, including Sam Jones.
And I wish I was in New Orleans, 'cause I can see it in my dreams,
The persona reiterates his longing to visit New Orleans, as it is a part of his recurring dreams.
Arm-in-arm down Burgundy, a bottle and my friends and me
He wants to walk down Burgundy Street holding arms with his friends while enjoying a bottle of wine.
New Orleans, I'll be there
The persona assures that he will definitely be in New Orleans.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: THOMAS ALAN WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jake Boi
Well, I wish I was in New Orleans
I can see it in my dreams
Arm in arm down Burgundy
A bottle and my friends and me
Hoist up a few tall cool ones
Play some pool and listen to that
Tenor saxophone calling me home
And I can hear the band begin
When The Saints Go Marching In
By the whiskers on my chin
New Orleans I'll be there
I'll drink you under the table
Be red nose go for walks
The old haunts what I wants
Is red beans and rice
And wear the dress I like so well
Meet me at the old saloon
Make sure there's a Dixie moon
New Orleans I'll be there
And deal the cards roll the dice
If it ain't that ole Chuck E. Weiss
And Clayborn Avenue me and you
Sam Jones and all
And I wish I was in New Orleans
I can see it in my dreams
Arm in arm down Burgundy
A bottle and my friends and me
New Orleans I'll be there
nri1969
Of all the songs written about New Orleans by outsiders, this is one of only a very few that make me think, "Okay, that guy got it." Thanks to coolcrowe87 for posting this. Your heart's in the right place. And to everyone else: please don't forget us, we're still here. It could happen to your town, too.
Eddie Black
An amazing story teller/singer/poet who creates movies with his songs, this and Tom Trouberts Blues are just Masterpieces!!
Johnny Shamrock
ya ain't wrong there Eddie.
Love this guy
Robin Heyer
This is the most heartbreakingly beautiful video I have ever watched. It is my favorite Tom Waits song. The pictures are perfect. Thank you.
CHARLES SUNDE
Horrific disaster, beautiful song, wonderful tribute.
Lucy Lloyd
I wanted to write something here.......... but the words haven't been invented to say how great this is.
Denmark
Bussin
OldPatsy3010
Brilliantly juxtaposed. Great vid, would bring a tear to glass eye.
mario7frankielee
who talks to you?
you should not be here!
go back to your world.
mario7frankielee
@***** don`t you know that you are not allowed to write?
you better hide you ugly fuck