Get Behind The Mule - Mule Variations [258]

The breadth and intimacy of Waits's writing is highlighted by our new guest host, director Justin Audibert, who joins Martin and Sam for this quasi-title track from Mule Variations. We discuss the emotional expression of singing through popular music, how Waits paints a portrait of America with specifics and generalities, and yodelling. Lots on yodelling. You didn't ask for this, but you're getting it. Yodelling. You're welcome.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Get Behind The Mule, Mule Variations, Tom Waits (1999)

Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues), Jimmie Rodgers (1930)

Labor Blues, The Memphis Blues 1927-1931, Tom Dickson (1928)

He's Misstra Know-It All, Innervisions, Stevie Wonder (1973)

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Hold On - Mule Variations [257]

Waits returns to the vignette form (at least by Sam's estimation) in this sentimental track that (in Martin's estimation) doesn't manage to hit on all levels. The value of sentiment, the origins of songwriting and the "truthfulness" of expression in music writing, and the ever-present question of authenticity all feature in this third conversation with Chad Clark.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Hold On, Mule Variations, Tom Waits (1999)

Fast Car, Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman (1988)

Instant Night, single, Beauty Pill (2020)

TOM WAITS - THE ACTING YEARS from Leigh Singer on Vimeo.

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Lowside of the Road - Mule Variations [256]

Chad Clark rejoins Sam & Martin to discuss the second track of Mule Variations... or is it just a retread of the first? We pick apart the synthesis of old/new Waits, alongside more modern music fusions. 

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Lowside of the Road, Mule Variations, Tom Waits (1999)

Old Town Road, 7 EP, Lil Was X (2019)

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Big In Japan - Mule Variations [255]

We return and begin again, this time with Chad Clark of Beauty Pill joining Martin and Sam for the first track of 1999’s Mule Variations. We discuss Chad’s perspective on music label relationships, the production choices and where the album sits at the end of the 20th century, plus how Waits relates to the energy of punk music. 

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Big In Japan, Mule Variations, Tom Waits (1999)

Making Plans For Bison, Pretty Little Baka Guy, Shonen Knife (1986)

Making Plans For Nigel, Drums and Wires, XTC (1979)

Do You Like Me, Red Medicine, Fugazi (1995)

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Mule Variations teaser [254a]

A couple of weeks out from the return of Song by Song to your podcatcher, here's a little preview of some of the conversations we've already recorded.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Big In Japan, Mule Variations, Tom Waits (1999)

Chocolate Jesus, Mule Variations, Tom Waits (1999)

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Old Shoes - The Early Years vol 2 [254]

Martin and Sam conclude the Early Years with a slight shrug towards this Closing Time demo, albeit with some sadness and mixed feelings. Looking back on both albums, we consider what they illuminate in Waits’s writing, and how the Early Years songs may inform the coming phase of his career. 

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Old Shoes, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

I Told You How Important You Would Be, Pale Bird/Martin Zaltz Austwick & Lily Sloane (2020)

Maddie's Sound Explorers, Maddie Moate/Magic Star/Martin Zaltz Austwick/Various (2020)

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So It Goes - The Early Years vol 2 [253]

Waits taps his inner animal (or two) as Martin Seagull-perches and Sam Puppy-scampers through this penultimate track from The Early Years. And, as a bonus, we take the space to listen to a trio of intervals speaking directly from an animal’s perspective. Spoilers; we go a bit long talking about the Virtute cycle, so make sure you give those songs a listen. 

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
So It Goes, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

Plea from a Cat Named Virtute, Reconstruction Site, The Weakerthans (2003)

Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure, Reunion Tour, The Weakerthans (2007)

Virtute at Rest, Winter Wheat, John K. Samson (2016)

The Commander Thinks Aloud, Ultimatum, The Long Winters (2005)

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Please Call Me, Baby - The Early Years vol 2 [252]

Dan's working on a crush this week (apologies Sarah), as we dig into crunchy chords, excited grunts and more examples on the piano in this plea by Waits to a wandering love. Personal and instrumental yearning, the interplay between flaws and personality, as well as the shift from "And I" to "But You're" in the lyrics all get some vigorous debate.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Please Call Me, Baby, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

Walking In The Rain, Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes, The Ronettes (1964/2011)

Let There Be Love, Nat King Cole Sing and George Shearing Plays, Nat King Cole/George Shearing (1962)

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Diamonds on My Windshield - The Early Years vol 2 [251]

A knee-slappingly good episode with Dan and Sarah, as we return to Waits's love of the beat poets in this sung demo of his spoken-word track from The Heart of Saturday Night. Again we discuss choices and changes as Waits moves from demo to studio, the intimacy that is gained and lost with speaking and singing, and ideas around performance and interpretation.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Diamonds on My Windshield, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

The Green Automobile, Holy Soul Jelly Roll vol 1, Allen Ginsberg (1994)

Everyday, Buddy Holly, Buddy Holly (1958)

Diamonds on My Windshield (Live in New York 1976), Transmission Impossible, Tom Waits (1976/2015)

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Grapefruit Moon - The Early Years vol 2 [250]

Actor/musicians and vocal coaches Sarah Mahony and Dan De Cruz join Martin and Sam for some fruit-based imagery, a little demo/studio comparison, and some proper musical illustration courtesy of a guest with real musical facility. Also, 250 episodes, woo!

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Grapefruit Moon, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

Pink Moon, Pink Moon, Nick Drake (1972)

Re: The Moon, Imaginary Advice, Ross Sutherland (2018)


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Shiver Me Timbers - The Early Years vol 2 [249]

Still no pirate-clown voice for Jeremy and Elizabeth, as Song by Song revisits this most sea-faring of Waits songs. We discuss its eulogistic tone, Waits's other oceanic music, as well as comparisons to a very different style of singing.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Shiver Me Timbers, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

Poor Wandering One, The Pirates of Penzance, Linda Ronstadt/Gilbert & Sullivan (1981)

Poor Wandering One, The Pirates of Penzance, Linda Ronstadt - from the Wilford Leach film (via YouTube) (1983)

Both Sides Now, Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell (2000)

The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze, The Mikado, Gilbert/Sullivan/Valerie Masterson (1885/1973)

The Sun Whose Rays, Love Waves, Veda Hille (2016)

Topsy Turvy trailer, via YouTube (dir. Leigh, 1999)

Romantic Comedy trailer, via YouTube (dir. Sankey, 2020)

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I Want You - The Early Years vol 2 [248]

Elizabeth and Jeremy return for this gentle pastoral sketch of Waits's desire for another, and discuss the universality of this wanting sentiment, traditional masculine presentations of desire in music, and the irresistible rise of girl-power.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
I Want You, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

Wannabe, Spice, The Spice Girls (1996)

Wannabe music video, dir. Jhoan Camitz, via YouTube (1996)

Viva Forever, Guilt by Association, Jim O'Rourke (2007)

I Want You, I Want You, Marvin Gaye (1976)

I Want You (She's So Heavy), Abbey Road, The Beatles (1969)

I Want You, Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan (1966)

I Want You, Welcome to Condale, Summer Camp (2011)

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Nobody - The Early Years vol 2 [247]

Together again for the first time, Elizabeth Sankey and Jeremy Warmsley (aka Summer Camp) visit Martin and Sam for a discussion over demo-to-final-version transitions, the process of choosing tunes and harmonies, and of course… clown-pirates.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Nobody, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

Love of My Life, Romantic Comedy, Summer Camp (2020)

Love of My Life - Electronic Demo, single b-side, Summer Camp (2020)

Exploring the Whole Tone Scale, Kari Juusela & Berklee Online via YouTube (2017)

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Blue Skies - The Early Years vol 2 [246]

A second week with Charlie brings his brief SbS return to a close, as we revisit this excellent demo version of Blue Skies. We broadly acknowledge our love of the simple 1971 version, before digging into Solange's 2016 image of Cranes in the Sky, and the beautiful complexities of that song’s structure.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Blue Skies, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

Cranes in the Sky, A Seat at the Table, Solange (2016)

Blue Skies (Single from The Heart of Saturday Night Sessions), Tom Waits (1974)

Cranes in the Sky, music video (via YouTube, dir. Alan Ferguson & Solange Knowles), Solange (2016)

Song Exploder episode 94: Solange - Cranes in the Sky, Hrishikesh Hirway/Song Exploder (2017)

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In Between Love - The Early Years vol 2 [245]

Charlie Harding of Switched On Pop returns to Song by Song to discuss this interstitial about between-moments-romance. What this love is, who it's directed towards and what that might mean is up for debate, and Charlie, Sam & Martin discuss the differences between ideas of middle/averageness on either side of the Atlantic.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
In Between Love, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

Inbetweener, Smart, Sleeper (1995)

Inbetweener, music video (via YouTube), Louise Wener (1995)

Hey Ya!, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, OutKast (2003)

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Mockin' Bird - The Early Years vol 2 [244]

It's a bit of a downer this week, as Nick, Sam & Martin get together to talk about at least one hosts' least-favourite Tom Waits song so far. We have a discussion about the success and failure of simplicity in music, as well as some of the complex history of the 1960s calypso hit Yellow Bird.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Mockin' Bird, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

Yellow Bird, Cherokeely Swings, Keely Smith (1962)

Choucoune Story and Song, With English Translation of Lyrics By Dr. Dady Chery
Mockin Bird, Step Right Up - Waits Tribute, Tindersticks (2004)

Blackbird, The Beatles/The White Album, The Beatles (1968)

Choucoun, Meringue & Konpa (Haiti 1952-1962), Emerante de Pradines (c. 1951)

Chaucoun, single, The Tarriers (1958)

Yellow Bird, Calypso Holiday, The Norman Luboff Choir (1957)

… and on the topic of bird songs, Martin wanted to give honorable mention to Skylark, Laughing on the Outside, Aretha Franklin (1963)

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Ol' 55 - The Early Years vol 2 [243]

Nick returns for a second week’s chat with Sam and Martin about classic cars (and their parking logistics), the evolution of Ol’ 55 (from Early Years to Closing Time to The Eagles), as well as the role of the car in rock and roll (as well as American culture in general). Note: Sam refers to a car advert using the Joplin song as Porsche, when it's actually BMW - video below.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Ol' 55, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

Mercedes Benz, Pearl, Janis Joplin (1971)

Ol' 55, VH1 Storytellers via YouTube, Tom Waits (1999)

Mercedes Benz advert feat. Janis Joplin, via YouTube (1995)

BMW advert feat. Janis Joplin, via YouTube (1998?)

YouTube channel of Tom Carroll, the filmmaker behind Nick's neighbour's classic car collection documentary. At the time of broadcast, this film is being held back for release at film festivals; we will update the show notes as and when it becomes available.
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Hope I Don't Fall in Love with You - The Early Years vol 2 [242]

For the first track from this second half of our 2-volume Early Years season, Martin and Sam are joined by Nick White from KCRW's Lost Notes to talk about this laid-back version of a Closing Time classic, including comparison to the early work of an icon of punk. 

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Hope I Don't Fall in Love with You, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)

Love Comes In Spurts, Spurts: The Richard Hell Story, The Neon Boys (1973/2005)

Love Comes In Spurts, Spurts: The Richard Hell Story, Richard Hell & The Voidoids (1976/2005)

Tears in Heaven, Rush Motion Picture Soundtrack, Eric Clapton (1992)

(I Just) Died In Your Arms, Broadcast, Cutting Crew (1986)

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Bram Stoker's Dracula (film, dir. Coppola, 1992) [F12]

For the last episode of our 2020 film mini-season, we welcome back Helen Zaltzman and Jenny Owen Youngs (of The Allusionist, Buffering The Vampire Slayer, and Veronica Mars Investigates) for a somewhat contentious discussion of this vampire-staple retelling. With some strong feelings and heavy levels of confusion, as well as a solo outing by Sam as guy-who-can-find-a-positive-in-almost-anything, Song by Song… well, we kind of get this one out of the way. Sorry to all the big fans, we did our best to find a balanced response, it just wasn't loved OK WHAT'S NEXT?

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Dracula Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Francis Ford Coppola 1992)

The Costumes Are The Sets - the design of Eiko Ishioka (via YouTube)

In Camera - the naive visual effects of Bram Stoker's Dracula (via YouTube)

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Seven Psychopaths (film, dir. McDonagh, 2012) [F18]

For our second Stripped Media crossover, Martin & Sam are joined by Helen Sadler & Kobi Omenaka for the Song-by-Song-by-Flixwatcher podcast, and take a look at the (at time of recording) available-on-Netflix-film Seven Psychopaths. With as many tangents in our conversation as there are in the film itself, lots of positive thoughts about a film all four hosts feel is fundamentally flawed, and with a very respectable Flixwatcher-patented-scoring-system-score, we end up with a varied but engaged response to the movie. Check out flixwatcher.tv for more Netflix-based movie reviews.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Seven Psychopaths Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Martin McDonagh, 2012)

Colin Farrell impersonates Tom Waits in CBS Seven Psychopaths interview, via YouTube

Tom Waits Seven Psychopaths interview with Screen Team Media, via YouTube

Misty Eyes, MightyPeople, via Soundcloud & courtesy of Flixwatcher (2014)
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