10 Utterly Bizarre Album Titles (And What They Really Mean)
5. Tom Waits Swordfishtrombones
Though Swordfishtrombones might look like the product of someone who owns a keyboard with a broken space bar button, the lack of spacing between the words swordfish and trombones is entirely intentional. Released by famous American singer-songwriter Tom Waits in 1983, Swordfishtrombones is commonly regarded as one of the best albums released in the 80s. Though the title seems rather nonsensical, it makes more sense when looked at in context. Up until this album, Waits' records were stylistically traditional, generally employing piano and string orchestra arrangements. The title, then, was used to mark a musical shift Swordfishtrombones features very unusual instrumentation and a rather abstract song writing approach. Compared with previous album titles like Closing Time, Small Change and Blue Valentine, the dramatic change is incredibly apparent.
