The Beatles cover Tom Waits calls “indescribable”
They might have folded over 50 years ago, but still, nobody comes close to emulating the incredible sounds of The Beatles. Nevertheless, countless musicians over the years have seen fit to reimagine the Fab Four, covering various tracks from their ridiculously influential careers. There are far more bad Beatles covers than good ones, but there are a magic few which might even rival the original versions. One such cover found particular fondness in the mind of iconic singer-songwriter Tom Waits.
Tom Waits came of age in the golden era of rock and roll music. A teenager in the 1960s, the young musician had a front-row seat to witness the British invasion, the Motown revolution, and the rise of hippie culture. In contrast to the music legend he would soon become, Waits spent much of the period working as a waiter in California. During this frankly depressing period, the only glimmer of hope Waits had was a jukebox.
Working in the hospitality industry is a famously stressful profession, especially in America, where waiters have to work for tips. So, within the restaurant where Waits worked, the inclusion of a jukebox filled with Ray Charles was a particular oasis within an ultimately quite depressing job. “I knelt at the altar of Ray Charles for years,” Waits explained, “I worked at a restaurant, and that’s all there was on the jukebox, practically, that and some Patsy Cline”.
In a 1999 interview, Waits explained the incredible influences that Charles had on him during this time. “I worked on Saturday nights and I would take my break and I’d sit by the jukebox and I’d play my Ray Charles,” he said, adding, “It was just amazing what he absorbed and that voice, for years it was just The Genius of Ray Charles”.
Of course, Ray Charles’ discography is pretty flawless. The songwriter and pianist is among the most iconic and highly-lauded musicians the US has ever produced. In 1967, two of Waits’ greatest loves combined, when Ray Charles released a cover of the seminal Beatles track ‘Yesterday’. Covering any Beatles song, let alone one as beloved as ‘Yesterday’ is a bold move, but if anyone could pull it off, Ray Charles could.
Indeed, Charles’ version of Lennon and McCartney’s 1965 song is hailed among the best covers of The Beatles. Tom Waits was particularly bowled over by the cover, saying, “He did ‘Yesterday’ on electric piano, and it just killed me,” continuing, “To hear that voice, it was like he crossed over a bridge, because he remained in R&B territory, yet there was something so timeless about his voice, and hearing him do a Beatles song was just indescribable.”
Even before Charles orchestrated the incredible cover, the R&B legend had an incredible effect on The Beatles. Reportedly, the band drew upon the inspiration of the pianist for the composition of two of their most beloved songs, including ‘Something’ and ‘I Feel Fine’.
