12 Things Only Tom Waits Fans Will Understand

8. His Versions Are Better Than The More Famous Covers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZhW76LAnTY One of the drawbacks of being such a talented songwriter is that, inevitably, people are going to want to cover your songs. Whilst can be seen as being a very high compliment, it can't be the best feeling when somebody takes your creative expression, records their own version, and achieves high success than you did with it. That's exactly what has happened with several of Tom Waits' songs. Martha, for example, was successfully covered by the late, great Tim Buckley. The very un-Waits like Jersey Girl was covered by Bruce Springsteen. 'Ol 55 was a hit for The Eagles. Big-haired Dad rocker Rod Stewart produced a hilariously overblown (but still decent) version of Waits' Downtown Train. These cover versions all have their merits and show how Waits' songs can be adapted by artists of all kinds. But they don't compare to the originals. Any Tom Waits fan will tell you that, if you were to play the original followed by the cover version that it's not even close - Waits' version is the best.