Ol' '55

For the Australian musical group, see Ol' 55 (band).

"Ol' '55" is a song by American musician Tom Waits. It is the opening track and lead single from Waits' debut studio album, Closing Time, released in March 1973 on Asylum Records. Written by Waits and produced by Jerry Yester, "Ol' '55" was a minor hit. It has been described as more conventional than Waits' later songs.^[1] The title, "Ol' '55", refers to the singer's vehicle, A 1955 Buick Roadmaster, "the first real luxury automobile I had ... about as slick as deer guts on a doorknob."^[2]

"Ol' '55"
Single by Tom Waits
from the album Closing Time
Released	1973 (1973)
Recorded	Spring 1972 at Sunset Sound Recorders and United Western Recorders in Hollywood, California
Genre	Folk
Length	3:58
Label	Asylum
Songwriter(s)	Tom Waits
Producer(s)	Jerry Yester
Tom Waits singles chronology
"Ol' '55" (1973) "Blues Skies" (1974)

The song has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by the Eagles for their 1974 album On The Border. In a 1975 interview, Waits was critical of the Eagles' cover version of his song, admitting that he was "not that particularly crazy about (their) rendition of it ... I thought their version was a little antiseptic."^[3] About one year later, while interviewed for NME, he went as far as stating that "I don’t like the Eagles. They’re about as exciting as watching paint dry. Their albums are good for keeping the dust off your turntable and that’s about all.”^[4]

The song was used for All Elite Wrestling's Brodie Lee tribute video during his Celebration of Life.^[5] AEW President and CEO Tony Khan purchased the rights to the song in perpetuity, saying "so the tribute will last forever".^[6]

Cover versions

• 1974 Eagles on the album On the Border, and a live version on disc 4 of their 2000 compilation Selected Works: 1972-1999. It was also the b-side of the single Best of My Love.
• 1974 Fairport Convention singer Iain Matthews, on the album Some Days You Eat the Bear
• 1975 Eric Andersen on the album Be True To You
• 1980 Richie Havens on the album Connections
• 1994 Sarah McLachlan on The Freedom Sessions

• 1994 Shawn Colvin on Cover Girl (Shawn Colvin album)

• 1999 Acda en De Munnik on the 1999 bonus album Live in de orangerie
• 1999 K's Choice on the enhanced CD Extra Cocoon - All Access
• 2009 Sass Jordan on the album From Dusk 'Til Dawn
• 2010 Gov't Mule covered "Ol' 55" for the first time on July 18, 2010 in Charlotte, NC as an encore performed with Jackie Greene.
• 2011 Maeve O'Boyle on the album Intermission
• 2012 Nick & Simon on the album Sterker (Deluxe/ DVD Wisseloord Sessies)
• 2015 Owen Campbell on the album In the Shadow of the Greats
• 2019 Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer on the album Come On Up to the House - Women Sing Waits

References

1. Barton, Matthew (July 18, 2018). "Looking Back at Tom Waits' Asylum Years: 'Closing Time,' 'The Heart of Saturday Night', 'Nighthawks at the Diner,' 'Small Change,' 'Foreign Affairs,' 'Blue Valentine, 'Heart Attack & Vine'". Glide.
2. Flint, Tom (2017). "Tom Waits - Ol' 55 (Live 1975)". YouTube. Retrieved August 4, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
3. Hoskyns, Barney (2011). Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits. Faber & Faber. p. 120. ISBN 978-0571261246.
4. Maher, Paul Jr (2011). Tom Waits on Tom Waits: Interviews and Encounters. Chicago Review Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-1569769270.
5. AEW Pays Tribute to Jon Huber aka Brodie Lee | AEW Brodie Lee Celebration of Life, 12/30/20. YouTube. All Elite Wrestling. December 30, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
6. Khan, Tony [@TonyKhan] (December 30, 2020). "Thank you everyone who joined us tonight on #AEWDynamite to celebrate the life of Jon Huber, known to fans as Mr. Brodie Lee. It was a great honor to host his family Amanda, Brodie & Nolan. I bought the rights to Ol' 55 by Tom Waits in perpetuity so that tribute will last forever" (Tweet). Retrieved December 30, 2020 – via Twitter.