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."
In Between Love
Tom Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who can tell what we may find
Never thought love, not get caught love
Between the magic in your eyes
And loves like women, it's cool and breezy
Never thought that love could be so easy
In between love and trying to scheme love
In between love and trying to scheme love
Who can tell what we may find
All this time love, I sublime love
To the feelings in my mind
Loves like women, it's cool and breezy
Never thought that love could be so easy
In between love and trying to scheme love
And in between love again
The lyrics of Tom Waits's "In Between Love" explore the contradictions and complexities of the experience of falling in and out of love. The singer expresses a sense of confusion about the nature of love, as they vacillate between "trying to scheme love" and succumbing to the "magic" and "feelings" of their romantic partner. The words "in between" suggest that the singer is in a liminal or transitional state, caught between the past and the future, and trying to navigate the uncertain territory of their emotions.
The song's lyrics are underscored by a simple and almost mournful melody, lending a sense of melancholy to the singer's reflections on love. However, there is also a sense of wonder and awe in their voice as they describe the magic and ease of falling in love. It seems that the singer is both wary of and drawn to the power of love, acknowledging its ability to both lift us up and bring us crashing to the ground.
Overall, "In Between Love" is a haunting and poignant meditation on the nature of love and the human experience of longing and desire.
Line by Line Meaning
In between love and trying to scheme love
Caught in the struggle between the authenticity of love and the temptation to manipulate it for personal gain.
Who can tell what we may find
Uncertainty lies ahead in the midst of this ongoing battle.
Never thought love, not get caught love
The realization that love, when genuine, is not something that can be forced or obtained through deceitful tactics.
Between the magic in your eyes
The captivating and enchanting nature of love that can be found in a significant other's gaze.
And loves like women, it's cool and breezy
True love is peaceful and effortless, like a refreshing breeze on a hot day.
Never thought that love could be so easy
Despite the struggle to choose authenticity over manipulation, the realization that true love comes easily and naturally when it is meant to be.
All this time love, I sublime love
The deep and pure feelings of love that exist within the singer's heart.
To the feelings in my mind
The source of love is not solely based on physical attraction, but rather the emotions and thoughts that it evokes within oneself.
And in between love again
The repetition of the line emphasizes the ongoing struggle and uncertainty that surrounds love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: TOM WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mariana Fernandes
"Entre amor e tentando amar esquema
Quem pode dizer o que podemos encontrar
Nunca pensei que amor, não pego amor
Entre a magia em seus olhos
E ama como mulher, é fresco e arejado
Nunca pensei que o amor poderia ser tão fácil
Entre amor e tentando amar esquema
E entre o amor novamente
Entre amor e tentando amar esquema
Quem pode dizer o que podemos encontrar
Todo esse tempo o amor, eu amo sublime
Para os sentimentos em minha mente
Ama como mulher, é fresco e arejado
Nunca pensei que o amor poderia ser tão fácil
Entre amor e tentando amar esquema
E entre o amor novamente."
Ivans, EU TE AMO💜
rino pagliaro
La melodia dolcissima suonata in punta di dita ruota attorno ad un testo dalla essenzialità disarmante. L’amore può essere una cosa semplice, facile. Può far stare bene come una brezza fresca e calma. Non deve essere per forza sofferenza e attesa.
Abituati a pianificare, a chiederci cosa ci aspetta, cosa fare e cosa dire, improvvisamente la magia che troviamo in mezzo ad un paio di occhi ci inchioda e ci intrappola e ci ritroviamo così: immersi in mezzo all’amore.
Nel bel mezzo dell’amore
Mentre si prova a pianificare l’amore
Chi può dire cosa troveremo
Non ho mai pensato all’amore, sono rimasto intrappolato, amore
In mezzo alla magia nei tuoi occhi
L’amore è come il vento, così calmo e fresco
Non ho mai pensato che l’amore potesse essere così semplice
Nel bel mezzo dell’amore
Mentre si prova a pianificare l’amore
Nel bel mezzo dell’amore
Di nuovo
Nel bel mezzo dell’amore
Mentre si prova a pianificare l’amore
Chi poteva dire quello che avremmo trovato
In tutto questo tempo, amore
Sono completamente cieco, amore
Alle sensazioni nella mia testa
L’amore è come il vento, così calmo e fresco
Non ho mai pensato che l’amore potesse essere così semplice
Nel bel mezzo dell’amore
Mentre si prova a pianificare l’amore
Nel bel mezzo dell’amore
Di nuovo
Mark Chandlock
Entre l'amour, essayant de preparer l'amour
Qui peut dire ce que nous pouvons trouver ?
Jamais l'amour je n aurais pensé, que je serais attrapé, l'amour
Entre la magie dans vos yeuxVotre amour comme le vent et c'est si frais et désinvolte
Jamais la pensée que l'amour pourrait être si facile Entre l'amour, essayant de preparer l'amour
Entre amour, de nouveauEntre l'amour, essayant de preparer l'amour
Qui peut dire ce que nous pouvons trouver ?
Tout ce temps, amour,
J'étais si aveugle, l'amour
Aux sentiments dans mon espritVotre amour comme le vent et c'est si frais et désinvolte
Jamais la pensée que l'amour pourrait être si facile
Dora Maria Vassiliou
In between love trying to scheme love
Who can tell what we may find
Never thought love, not get caught love
Between the magic in your eyes
Loves like women, it's cool and breezy
Never thought that love could be so easy
In between love trying to scheme love
In between love again
In between love trying to scheme love
Who can tell what we may find
All this time love, I sublime love
To the feelings in my mind
Loves like women, it's cool and breezy
Never thought that love could be so easy
In between love trying to scheme love
In between love, again
mafiabrokemylegs
This is by a young Tom Waits, recorded in 1971: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Early_Years_(album_series) Yes, he is singing.
Vasco Bento
mafiabrokemylegs the man actually had a pleasant voice and pitch. And then he watched darth vader at the movie theatre.
Dennis Anthonis
I am. It's not uncommon for me to cry when I listen to Tom Waits. In fact, it's why I do it for the most part. It's catharsis for me. I love his music.
Robert Balliet
Ditto !
Dr. Doug Graves
Tom Waits - One of America's greatest song writers.
Ga Wa
One of the world's greatest living artists.
godloveszaza
Shouldve said the world because aint no one from anywhere else writing better than this.
TrueBlueEG8
It does not matter when you discover Tom, he will still have a lasting effect on you, with his ability to put a movie in your head, and his melancholy sound, it is a potent cocktail.
Omecron ( Rodney Dheel)
Although my heart is broken, this man healing me with his vocal prowess and intellectual visuals
Amanda Huginkiss
I can’t believe I am almost 40 years old and just heard this song for the first time today. Incredible! I wonder what else there is out there I have been missing? I saw Tom Waits getting reviewed by a reviewer I watch for Beatles videos. I decided to listen to 1 Waits song, which I had NEVER done. Now, I am just...I can’t think of the word...maybe speechless. I listened to this about 20 times now and also one called I hope that I don’t fall in love with you many times. I am gonna keep searching. This guy is amazing!