"Downtown Train" from Rain Dogs seems to be the most popular cover choice. Since Waits' own recordings have never made the charts, Rod Stewart's cover of "Downtown Train" went to #3. ** "Jersey Girl" was recorded by Bruce Springsteen and initially released in 1984 as the B-side of the single, "Cover Me". It wound up getting a lot of radio airplay and was later re-released on Bruce's live box set. The song is more associated with him than it ever was to Waits—probably because of Bruce's deep identification with New Jersey, which the Californian Waits couldn't match (and the generous Tom wouldn't want to, as long as he got his writer's credit).
Everyone recognizes "Way Down in the Hole" as one of his, but also regard the Blind Boys of Alabama's cover as a superior version.
Genius Bonus: One of his songs, Come on Up To The House from Mule Variations, references Thomas Hobbes' 17th century book Leviathan, a treatise on political philosophy. Not exactly a summer beach read.
Memetic Psychopath: Generally considered by his fans to be some unidentified variety of inhuman monster - the most popular theory being a werewolf, thanks to the growly voice and doglike features. Others joke that his role in Parnassus was just starring As Himself.
Misaimed Fandom: The interpretations of "Poor Edward" from Alice. The song is actually about exactly what it sounds like.
Older Than They Think: The gravelly voice used by Rowlf the Dog has been described as a Tom Waits impression — although Waits was only 13 when Rowlf debuted.
Suspiciously Similar Song: The similarities between "Step Right Up" from Small Change and a Frito-Lay ad jingle caused a bit of a legal stir between Tom and the company.
