Ol’ 55: Tom Waits vs The Eagles

What Tom Waits said about The Eagles’ cover of Ol’ 55, the first single off his debut album, Closing Time.

In an interview on WAMU Radio in Washington DC (1975):

“I frankly was not that particularly crazy about their rendition of it. The song is about 5 years old, it’s one of the first songs I wrote so I felt like it was kind of flattering that somebody wanted to do your song but at the same time I thought their version was a little antiseptic.”

To the NME, as quoted in an article called ‘Tom Waits: Would You Say This Man Was Attempting To Convey An Impression Of Sordid Bohemianism’ (1976):

“Naw – 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.”