With serious discussion of disturbing events from the start, Andrea illuminates for Sam and Martin some of the context for this song of military trauma. We consider musical presentation of problems and solutions to injustice, sonic and lyrical density, and Waits’s political engagement more broadly
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Hell Broke Luce, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
The Ground Truth trailer, dir. Patricia Foulkrod (2006)
Universal Soldier, It's My Way, Buffy Sainte-Marie (1964)
Song 33, single, Noname (2020)
Snow On Tha Bluff, single, J. Cole (2020)
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We’re heading towards conclusions, both in albums and in life, as Andrea Warner joins with Martin and Sam to examine another Tom and Keith team up. The hubris of Waits’s sentiments, the juxtaposition of humour and pain in music, and a consideration of vestigial tails all feature in this week’s discussion.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Last Leaf, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Pale Green Things, The Sunset Tree, The Mountain Goats (2005)
Pocket Narratives from the Mountain Goats, NPR Interview with Linda Wertheimer (2005)
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Another Keith Richards collaboration brings Waits to a full confrontation with the Rolling Stones, as Song by Song engages with this cryptic track from the second half of Bad As Me. Determination in music and sports, the sexual or metaphorical interpretations of bullets and guns, and the lunacy of Harry Smith all feature in our third conversation with Sara Gran.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Satisfied, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Out Of Our Heads, The Rolling Stones (1965)
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Live in Paris, John Lee Hooker / Carey Bell (1970)
Time Is On My Side, Wish Someone Would Care, Irma Thomas (1964)
When You're Gone, Some Girls (Deluxe Edition), The Rolling Stones (1978/2011)
The Ghost Of Tom Waits, via YouTube (????)
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Waits's yearning for a new (or at least newness in) love brings Sara, Martin and Sam to some inherent features of popular music as well as human nature in general. We have conversations about changing affection in art itself, dig into the truths and lies we tell about the shape of life, and begin an extended consideration of the presence of limerence in music.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Kiss Me, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Escape (The Pina Colada Song), Partners In Crime, Rupert Holmes (1979)
Babooshka, Never for Ever, Kate Bush (1980)
Let's Do It (The Ballad Of Barry And Freda), clip from As Seen On TV, Victoria Wood (1986)
Victoria Wood: Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4 (2007) (Waits pick at 21m25s)
The Paris Match, Cafe Bleu, The Style Council / Tracey Thorn (1984)
Marcus Shelby spotlight, KQED Arts via YouTube (2014)
Blue Valentines, Blue Valentine, Tom Waits (1978)
And Then He Kissed Me, single / Philles Records Presents Today's Hits, The Crystals (1963)
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We’re delighted to welcome John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats for this special extended episode listening to the title track from Bad As Me. Diving into the history of Waits’s musical evolution, John, Martin and Sam consider the value of originality, Waits's reasons for producing this album after a 7 year hiatus, and some of the philosophical questions around the creation and publication of music. Plus some good Zelda chat.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Bad As Me, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
If You See Light, Get Lonely, The Mountain Goats (2006)
Clean Slate, single, The Mountain Goats (2023)
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Joined by long-hoped-for guest Sara Gran, Sam and Martin shuffle back into the crowd of emotional songs of loss and yearning, flanked by Waits in a sorrowful mode and Roy Orbison full of powerful declamatory emotion. Some lyrical interpretation, a little passive-aggression, and the question of how lonely a voice sounds all occupy our discussion, as we continue through Bad As Me.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Back In The Crowd, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Only The Lonely, Lonely and Blue, Roy Orbison (1960)
Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison and Friends Black & White Night 30, Roy Orbison (1988)
Behind the scenes of Roy Orbison and Friends Black & White Night 30 (1988)
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With a brief digression into Beyoncé’s oeuvre, Kerry-Jo, Martin and Sam discuss some of the oddities in the writing of Pay Me, and what story Waits is trying to tell. We consider stories of theatrical life, where to find the end of the world, and specificities in the writing of Stephen Sondheim.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Pay Me, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Jack Langrishe arrives in Deadwood, clip from Deadwood s3e3, w. Regina Corrado & Ted Mann, dir. Gregg Feinberg (2006)
Send In The Clowns, Good Bad but Beautiful, Shirley Bassey / Stephen Sondheim (1975)
Send In The Clowns, The Broadway Album, Barbara Streisand / Stephen Sondheim (1985)
Send In The Clowns, A Little Night Music (Original Broadway Cast Recording), Glynis John / Stephen Sondheim (1973)
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Back with Sam and Martin, Kerry-Jo has some opinions about the honesty of Waits’s reasons for departure, as well as the comprehensibility of his Sweetums voice. We discuss the inevitability and/or duality of his departure, styles of poetic writing in both tracks, and the various ways that we get “stuck” in situations and relationships.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Face To The Highway, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Carrion, Tidal, Fiona Apple (1996)
Goddess on a Hiway, Deserter's Songs, Mercury Rev (1998)
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We welcome Kerry-Jo Reilly to the show, joining Martin and Sam for songs of travel, departure and longing by Tom Waits, Larry Taylor, and their various associates. There’s discussion of the value of 60s/70s blues-rock, Waits’s various relationships over the years, and his attitude towards The King.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Get Lost, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Summertime / Burma Shave (including 'The Day That Elvis Presley Died' intro), live recording, Tom Waits / Herb Hardest (1984?)
Jim never has a second cup of coffee at home, from Airplane, dir. Jim Abrahams / David Zucker / Jerry Zucker (1980)
On The Road Again, Boogie With Canned Heat, Canned Heat (1968)
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Minneapolis Institute of Art listing for 'Tom Waits and Madonna', Ramon J. Muxter (1982)
Waits pulls on some (possibly) contemporary references this week, as Bryce, Sam and Martin consider the various meanings that “everybody talking” may relate to. Considering the tone and quality of the song, the applications to various political concerns of various eras, and taking a step into popular music of 2022, the conversation continues through Bad As Me.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Talking At The Same Time, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Scene from 'The Man With Two Brains', dir. Carl Reiner (1983)
Late Night Talking, Harry's House, Harry Styles (2022)
Late Night Talking music video, dir. Bradley Bell / Pablo Jones-Soler (2022)
Levitating, Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa (2020)
I Will Survive, live at Cochella, Harry Styles / Lizzo (2022)
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Shambling on from Chicago, Waits lays down some relationship advice for Bryce, Martin and Sam to pick apart and interpret, with some mixed attitudes towards partners’ and parents’ influence over right and wrong men. We chat about the work of Aretha Franklin, overlap with Nick Cave, and of course the looming influence of Snagglepuss.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Raised Right Men, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Heavens to Murgatroyd!
Red Right Hand, Let Love In, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds (1994)
Do Right Woman, Do Right Man, single, Aretha Franklin (1967)
Think, Aretha Franklin / Matt Guitar Murphy / The Blues Brothers / Lou Marini, from The Blues Brothers, dir. John Landis (1980)
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Back for the beginning of our final(?) season, Bryce Halliday joins Sam and Martin for a journey toward the great unknown of Illinois. We examine the era of the song’s setting, the power of Mavis Staples’s singing, and the reliability of moving to "better" places.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Chicago, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Way Down Hadestown, Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell (2010)
I'll Take You There, Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, The Staples Singers (1972)
Liquidator, single, Harry J Allstars (1969)
Respect Yourself, live at Lagunitas Brewing, Mavis Staples & Tom Waits (2017)
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One more Megamix before we hit the final straight, with Martin and Sam taking the opportunity to consider the penultimate release of Waits, the 2009 live album Glitter & Doom Live, bouncing through the 17+ tracks at an approximate minute-per-track. We consider the different energy and interpretations of these recordings compared to studio originals, how some tracks can be perfected live, and how this compares to other live albums. It's just a bunch of Tom Waits songs…
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Glitter & Doom Live, Tom Waits (2009)
Tom Tales, bonus track(s) from Glitter & Doom Live Deluxe, Tom Waits (2009)
Picture In A Frame, from the end of the bonus disc of Glitter & Doom Live Deluxe, Tom Waits (2009)
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A second week’s break, but there’s another discussion celebrating Flixwatcher’s 300th episode, this time digging into the 1991 classic that is Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. And fear not, Sam and Martin will be back in just one short week for the Glitter & Doom megamix!
A week off for Martin and Sam... but never ones to rest on laurels, they've headed over to Flixwatcher to guest-host for Helen and Kobi's 300th episode, discussing the Martin Scorsese epic "The Irishman". While you build anticipation for Glitter & Doom, why not head over and take a listen.
Our third cameo compilation episode concludes Song by Song's journey through the film work of Tom Waits, with Leigh, Martin and Sam touching on the last decade of his screen appearances. This week considers Twixt (2011), The Laughing Heart (2003/2012), The Simpsons (2013), Citizen (2016), The Moon's Milk (2018), The Ultra City Smiths (2021), Licorice Pizza (2021) and a few others. Please pick up any spilled popcorn as you leave folks…
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Tom Waits - The Acting Years, Leigh Singer supercut (2019)
Twixt Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Francis Ford Coppola, 2011)
The Laughing Heart, from Bukowski: Born Into This, via YouTube (dir. John Dullaghan, 2003)
Bukowski: Born Into This (full documentary), via YouTube (dir. John Dullaghan, 2003)
The Laughing Heart (animated short), via YouTube (dir. Bradley Bell, 2011)
A Brief History Of John Baldessari, via YouTube (dir. Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman, 2012)
Moving on through the shorter film appearances of Tom Waits, Leigh, Sam and Martin find some of the sparkling (and less-than-sparkling) gems from his movie roles of the 90s and into the 2000s, discussing Queen’s Logic (1991), The Fisher King (1991), Until The End Of The World (1991), Domino (2005), The Tiger and The Snow (2005), The Book of Eli (2010), and The Monster of Nix (2011).
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Tom Waits - The Acting Years, Leigh Singer supercut (2019)
Queen's Logic Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Steve Rash, 1991)
Excerpt from Queen's Logic featuring Tom Waits, via YouTube (dir. Steve Rash, 1991)
Excerpt from Queen's Logic featuring Tom Waits, via YouTube (dir. Steve Rash, 1991)
The Big Chill: Baby Boom or Bust, Leigh Singer video essay (2019)
The Fisher King Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Terry Gilliam, 1991)
Excerpt from The Fisher King featuring Tom Waits, via YouTube (dir. Terry Gilliam, 1991)
Excerpt from The Fisher King featuring Michael Jeter, via YouTube (dir. Terry Gilliam, 1991)
Until The End Of The World Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Wim Wenders, 1991)
Guy Maddin: Waiting For Twilight (full documentary), via YouTube (dir. Noam Gonick, 1997)
Bukowski: Born Into This (full documentary), via YouTube (dir. John Dullaghan, 2003)
Domino Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Tony Scott, 2005)
Excerpt from Domino featuring Tom Waits, via YouTube (dir. Tony Scott, 2005)
The Tiger and The Snow Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Roberto Benigni, 2005)
Excerpt from The Tiger and The Snow featuring Tom Waits, via YouTube (dir. Roberto Benigni, 2005)
The Book Of Eli Trailer, via YouTube (dir. The Hughes Brothers, 2010)
Excerpt from The Book Of Eli featuring Tom Waits, via YouTube (dir. The Hughes Brothers, 2010)
The Monster Of Nix Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Rosto, 2011)
The Monster Of Nix (full short film), via YouTube (dir. Rosto, 2011)
Log into the Spotify web player to hear these tracks.
Song by Song embarks on a roundup of Waits’s many film cameo appearances, with Sam and Martin ably abetted by film critic Leigh Singer. With discussions of his smallest early film appearances (and several of his film absences), we take this first episode to discuss Paradise Alley (1978), Wolfen (1981), The Stone Boy (1984), Candy Mountain (1987), Greasy Lake (1988) and The Two Jakes (1990).
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Tom Waits - The Acting Years, Leigh Singer supercut (2019)
Paradise Alley Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Sylvester Stallone, 1978)
Excerpt from Paradise Alley featuring Tom Waits, via YouTube (dir. Sylvester Stallone, 1978)
Wolfen Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Michael Wadleigh, 1981)
Excerpt from Wolfen (German language dubbed version) featuring Tom Waits, via YouTube (dir. Michael Wadleigh, 1981)
The Stone Boy Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Christopher Cain, 1984)
Streetwise, via YouTube (dir. Martin Bell, 1984)
Candy Mountain Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Robert Frank / Rudy Wurlitzer, 1987)
Excerpt from Candy Mountain featuring Tom Waits, via YouTube (dir. Robert Frank / Rudy Wurlitzer, 1987)
Greasy Lake (full short film), via YouTube (dir. Damian Harris, 1988)
It’s story time again, with Waits giving an almost-solo turn in the “All Gold Canyon” segment of The Coen Brothers’ anthology film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Rico Galliano of the MUBI Podcast joins Sam and Martin to consider all six of the film’s stories, its fatal themes, and Waits’s talent for shouting at owls.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Coen Brothers, 2018)
We welcome Eadie and Melia to the podcast, presenting five songs from Waits aimed at younger listeners, and discovering how the junior contingent of Song by Song feel about them. We discuss creepy voices and creepier sheds, the feeding habits of Golden Eagles, and the deep trauma of poor WiFi connectivity.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Children's Story, Orphans: Brawlers Bawlers & Bastards, Tom Waits (2006)
Heigh Ho, Orphans: Brawlers Bawlers & Bastards, Tom Waits (2006)
Heigh Ho, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Frank Churchill music / Larry Morey lyrics (1937)
Army Ants, Orphans: Brawlers Bawlers & Bastards, Tom Waits (2006)
I Don’t Wanna Grow Up, Bone Machine, Tom Waits (1992)
Bend Down The Branches, Orphans: Brawlers Bawlers & Bastards, Tom Waits (2006)
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