‘Heartattack and Vine’: Lydia Lunch’s favourite Tom Waits song
It takes a certain breed of musician to toe the line between mainstream acclaim and cult heroism quite as expertly as Tom Waits. With his gravelly tones and expansive repertoire of sound, the Californian songwriter seems to be one of the very few musical artists to remain a hero among underground artists while simultaneously finding commercial success for his groundbreaking musings. This fact is particularly reflected by the underground heroine Lydia Lunch, who has always maintained an appreciation for Waits.
New York City has always been a hub of innovative music, from the revolutionary jazz sounds of John Coltrane to the abrasive sounds of hardcore groups like Reagan Youth. Perhaps its most subversive musical period came in the wake of punk rock when underground artists rebelled against the blossoming world of new wave to establish the style of no-wave. Famously difficult to pin down, the no-wave scene saw artists like James Chance, Swans, and Lizzy Mercier Descloux develop their own fiercely independent sound.
Within that scene, Lydia Lunch was among the most recognisable figures. Famed for her confrontational performance style and harsh experimentalism, the songwriter first established herself within Teenage Jesus and the Jerks alongside James Chance. From there, Lunch continued to develop her wonderfully abrasive persona, crafting a compelling and individualistic solo career in addition to supporting the no-wave scene by collaborating with up-and-coming groups like Sonic Youth.
For a musician who fostered such a subversive and original way of operating, you would be forgiven for assuming that Lunch’s record collection is chock full of obscure and forgotten artists from the New York underground. While she has longsince supported the landscape of underground music, Lunch also maintains a healthy appreciation for mainstream audiences, too.
Back in 1982, during a particularly productive period for Lunch as a solo artist, she appeared in the pages of the New Musical Express to espouse six of her all-time favourite tracks. The entire list is fairly unexpected, ranging from the gentle country vocals of Patsy Cline to the new wave stars The Psychedelic Furs – although she did add the notation “(How uncool!)” to the latter selection. Her choices reflect the diverse and expansive repertoire of Lunch herself, so it should come as no surprise that Tom Waits makes an appearance on her list.
At number three in Lunch’s 1982 list sits Waits and the title track of his beloved 1980 record Heartattack and Vine. Seeing the California songwriter pay homage to multiple locations across the state of Los Angeles, the song clearly found favour with New York icon Lydia Lunch.
After all, the track is arguably among Waits’ defining works, capturing the inherent appeal of the songwriter’s performance and writing style during one of his most prolific periods. Seemingly, Lunch maintained such an appreciation for ‘Heartattack and Vine’ that she chose to record a cover version of the classic Tom Waits song for the 2000 tribute album New Coat of Paint.
Rendering Waits’ distinctive voice in her own distinctive style, awash with abrasive noise sounds and a yearning vocal style, Lunch’s recording of the song has a definite undercurrent of adoration for Waits and his timeless songwriting.
