Small Change

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Small Change is sadly under-represented here, with only the amazing "Step Right Up" and "Tom Traubert's Blues" on the roll call. So, my only complaint about this record is the questionable absence of the gorgeous "Invitation to the Blues." Other than that and some near-clunkers ("I Never Talk to Strangers"), Used Songs is an exceptional gathering of Waits' material.

The Piano Has Been Drinking -an obvious standout. Funniest song on the album. That makes 3 great songs in a row.Tom Traubert's Blues" was written solely by Waits and produced by Bones Howe. The song is in common time ( 4 On the other hand, “Somewhere” makes perfect sense thematically: His characters may be hard up, but they’re still dreaming about that promised “place for us.” “Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis,” a minor hit at the time and a fan favorite for decades after, is one of Waits’ most devastating tunes. He sings in the voice of the title character as she describes a happy life to an old friend: She’s married and off the dope, pregnant and hopeful. Someone might have stolen her record player, but “I think I’m happy for the first time since my accident.” The last verse arrives like a punch in the gut, as she admits she’s making it all up before asking to borrow some dough. British album certifications – Tom Waits – Small Change". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved July 26, 2012.

Bones Howe considers the song's lyrics to be "brilliant" and "the work of an extremely talented lyricist." Speaking of the lyrics, Howe has said: "occasionally I'll do something for songwriters. They all say the same thing to me. 'All the great lyrics are done.' And I say, 'I'm going to give you a lyric that you never heard before.' ' A battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace / And a wound that will never heal. '." [5] Release and reception [ edit ] Rod Stewart – Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 4, 2020. Rod Stewart – Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 4, 2020.It's Tom Waits, fer christsake. And I don't mean it in the obnoxious "it's Tom Waits and if you don't love him then you're a fool" kind of way, I mean it in the "It's Tom Waits giving us his all and leaving no liver unshot" kind of way. Tom really pours himself over the songs on Small Change, and makes no apologies for doing so. And that's how I like my Waits. The Irish Charts – Search Results – Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 1, 2021.

I Wish I Was in New Orleans: Another winner. I love these mellow yet gruff, loungy, funny songs he does.

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The rum soaked tales which make up Rain Dogs' drunken ditties take the listener on a voyage over the high seas and into the seedy underbelly of downtown New York. Off beat rhymes and out of key rhythms serve for an uncomfortable delight. Waits offers an astounding record for musicians and poets alike, to discuss and revel in for years to come. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDFed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p.267. Elvira on her date with Elvis and the fish recipe she got from Vincent Price". The A.V. Club. 5 October 2016.

a b c Small Change (LP). Tom Waits. Asylum Records. 1976. K 53050. {{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link) He said the most wonderful thing about writing that song. He went down and hung around on skid row in L.A. because he wanted to get stimulated for writing this material. He called me up and said, "I went down to skid row ... I bought a pint of rye. In a brown paper bag." I said, "Oh really?" "Yeah - hunkered down, drank the pint of rye, went home, threw up, and wrote 'Tom Traubert's Blues' [...] Every guy down there ... everyone I spoke to, a woman put him there." [4] The song's lyrics narrate the story of Tom Traubert, "a man who finds himself stranded and penniless in a foreign land." Biographer Jay S. Jacobs has described Traubert as "etched as a sympathetic character, but it's clear that he inhabits a hell of his own making. He'll never make his way home again because any cash he gets his hands on he squanders on drink." [5]O'Neal, Sam (October 28, 2009). "Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark (and merchandising)". The A.V. Club . Retrieved November 20, 2009. Tom Traubert's Blues" was covered by Rod Stewart under the title " Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)". Released as a single in November 1992, it was later included on the compilation Lead Vocalist (1993) and live albums Unplugged...and Seated (1993) and You're in My Heart: Rod Stewart with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2019). a b Køster-Rasmussen, Janus; Vesterberg, Henrik (1998). "The Streets Aren't for Dreaming – Tom Waits". Copenhagen Songs – Songs of a City.