12 Things Only Tom Waits Fans Will Understand

5. It's His Songs That Make Those Scenes So Memorable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LoTisDRVdQ Tom Waits may not approve of the use of his music for TV advertisements (more on that later) but he doesn't seem to have a problem with leasing his tunes for use in television shows. Some of Wait's best songs have been utilised to make ordinary scenes good and good scenes great. Way Down in the Hole was famously used in the opening credits of HBO's The Wire, with a different performer covering it for four of its five seasons (Waits' original was used for season 2). It was the perfect choice for the show and became a big part of its identity. Waits' music was also featured in The Wire forerunner Homicide: Life on the Street, the song Cold Cold Ground being played during a particularly memorable montage during the season 5 episode Bad Medicine. Hold On was featured during The Walking Dead episode I Ain't a Judas when Beth spontaneously began singing it to the rest of the group in a celebrated moment. Then there are his songs' appearances in Fight Club, Twelve Monkeys and his extensive work on the musical One From the Heart. Waits' music is very theatrical at times and it's no great surprise that filmmakers and producers would want to use his songs for their film/television show/documentary etc. This can get lost on the masses, but Waits fans can instantly recognise his voice on the soundtrack.