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."
Puttin' On The Dog
Tom Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You gotta wake right up in your dreams
You gotta jump, wheel and drive
Keep that feeling alive
You gotta kick, holler and shout
I'm gonna tell you what it's all about
You gotta tell me that you love me
We're putting on the dog tonight
We're putting on the dog tonight
We'll be p-putting on the dog tonight
Putting on, putting on the dog tonight
We'll be putting on the dog tonight
We'll be putting on the dog tonight
Putting on the dog
Putting on the dog
We'll flip, we'll follow and fly
Just do it now and don't ask why
You gotta strut, wiggle and slide
Let everybody know that you're alive
You gotta crank, gallop and twist
Do it once, you'll never resist
Tell me that you love me
Tell me that you're mine
We're putting on the dog tonight
Putting on the dog tonight, alright
Well we'll be going to a sooky jump it's rain and it pours
Big old Lecky with his suicide doors
Tip that bottle from the brim to the dregs
You ain't dancing 'till you cross your legs
Putting on the dog tonight
We'll be putting on the dog tonight
We'll be putting on the dog tonight
Putting on the dog tonight
Putting on the dog
I've been p-putting on the dog
Putting on the dog
Putting on the dog
Putting on the dog
Putting on the dog
The lyrics of Tom Waits's "Putting on the Dog" is a call for waking up, getting energetic, and letting out one's inner self to the world. The song opens with an instruction to stomp, whistle, and scream, urging the listener to unleash themselves from their everyday routine and limitations. The lyrics capture the freedom and wildness of the human spirit and encourage one to jump, wheel, and drive to keep the feeling of being alive. The chorus "We're putting on the dog tonight" repeats the idea of adorning oneself to present the best version of oneself to the world.
The next verse instructs the listener to do away with doubts and hesitation and to flip, follow, and fly without questioning why one is doing it. The lyrics urge one to strut, wiggle, and slide to let everybody know that they are alive, and to crank, gallop, and twist, to break away from the mundane. The song encourages the listener to be bold and expressive in love, to tell someone they love them and to tell them they're theirs. The song has a jazzy feel with a big band in the background and Tom Waits's raw voice.
Line by Line Meaning
You gotta stomp, whistle and scream
You need to express yourself confidently and with passion, not holding anything back
You gotta wake right up in your dreams
You have to be aware and attentive to your desires and aspirations, even in your subconscious state
You gotta jump, wheel and drive
You have to take risks and seize opportunities, moving forward with determination and enthusiasm
Keep that feeling alive
Always stay connected to the excitement and energy that motivates and inspires you
You gotta kick, holler and shout
You need to assert yourself boldly and make your presence known, not being afraid to speak up
I'm gonna tell you what it's all about
I'm going to explain to you the essence and purpose of this experience or situation
You gotta tell me that you love me
You must express your affection and devotion to me openly and sincerely
Tell me that you're mine
Confirm that you are committed to me and belong to me alone
We're putting on the dog tonight
We're going all out and putting on a stylish and elegant display tonight
Well we'll be going to a sooky jump it's rain and it pours
We'll be attending a particular type of party or venue that attracts a diverse and unconventional crowd, regardless of the weather conditions
Big old Lecky with his suicide doors
A reference to a specific person, possibly a flamboyant or daring individual who owns a car with rear-hinged doors that could be dangerous in an accident
Tip that bottle from the brim to the dregs
Drink the entire contents of the bottle, all the way from the top to the bottom
You ain't dancing 'till you cross your legs
You aren't really dancing unless you are fully immersed in the experience and moving your body in sync with the rhythm
We'll flip, we'll follow and fly
We'll improvise and adapt to the music and the environment, letting ourselves go and having fun
Just do it now and don't ask why
Act on your impulses and instincts without overthinking or rationalizing them
You gotta strut, wiggle and slide
You need to display confidence and grace, using your body to express your personality and emotions
Let everybody know that you're alive
Show your vitality and enthusiasm for life, captivating and inspiring those around you
You gotta crank, gallop and twist
You must move with energy and enthusiasm, engaging fully with the music and the crowd
Putting on the dog tonight, alright
We're going all out and having a great time in grand style tonight
We'll be putting on the dog tonight
We'll be dressing up and showcasing our style and sophistication tonight
Putting on the dog
Presenting ourselves elegantly and distinctly, with flair and confidence
I've been p-putting on the dog
I've been presenting myself in a grand and stylish way, asserting my individuality and creativity
Putting on the dog
Dressing up and showcasing our style and charisma, with poise and assurance
Putting on the dog
Creating a striking and memorable impression, with a touch of extravagance and panache
Putting on the dog
Embodying a certain elegance and sophistication, with a dash of playfulness and spontaneity
Putting on the dog
Presenting ourselves in a unique and captivating way, with a sense of pride and accomplishment
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KATHLEEN BRENNAN, THOMAS ALAN WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Kees
This will sound weird, but I play this song, and then watch Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers dance in Swing Time with the sound turned down. You'd be amazed at how well they fit together.
Brian Eno
Cheese from the bacon
Twinklebat
Ruff ruff ruff
Paul Soulouoff
Vladimir Puttin ?
Sigma Tate
Yes, the song is about Vladimir Putin and Connie Paulgrave.