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"Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)" (sometimes referred to incorrectly as "Waltzing Matilda", the song from which it borrows) is a song by American musician Tom Waits. It is the opening track on Waits' third studio album ''Small Change'', released in September 1976 on Asylum Records. Written by Waits and produced by Bones Howe, the song's chorus is derived from the Australian folk song "Waltzing Matilda" and its lyrics narrate alcohol abuse, inspired by Waits' own experiences in Los Angeles and Copenhagen. The song is considered one of Waits' signature songs and was described by Howe as "the work of an extremely talented lyricist". It has since been covered by a number of artists, most notably Rod Stewart, who released a version of the song on the compilation album ''Lead Vocalist'' (1993). Stewart's version was released as a single in 1992 and charted in eight countries upon its release, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Sweden. ==Origin and recording== "Tom Traubert's Blues" was written by Tom Waits while he was living in London, United Kingdom in 1976.〔Humphries, pg. 88〕 In an interview on NPR's ''World Cafe'' in December 2006, Waits stated that the title character was "a friend of a friend" who had died in prison.〔 N.B. User must click "Listen" or "Download" to access MP3 stream.〕 The song's subtitle ("Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen") is a reference to the time that Waits spent in Copenhagen, Denmark while on tour in June 1976. In Copenhagen, Waits had met Danish singer and violinist Mathilde Bondo. Bondo performed violin during Waits' appearance on the DR1 TV show ''Sange Efter Lukketid'' and said that she "of course had to show him the city–we were in Tivoli and on Christianshavn. It was a lovely night () we waltzed a lot" Bondo later said "I'm really proud to have been the muse for his song" and referred to Waits' depiction of Copenhagen as "somewhat ambiguous but it's a wonderful song."〔 In May 1979, Waits himself confirmed the song's origins during a live performance in Sydney, Australia, stating "I met this girl named Matilda. And uh, I had a little too much to drink that night. This is about throwing up in a foreign country."〔Waits, Tom. "This is a song here. I kinda borrowed your unofficial national anthem on this whole thing. I'll give it back when I'm done. I met this girl named Matilda. And uh, I had a little too much to drink that night. This is about throwing up in a foreign country." Extract from a transcription of a live performance in Sydney, Australia on May 2, 1979.〕 However, producer Bones Howe has said that another experience inspired "Tom Traubert's Blues." Recalling the experience, Howe said "he () went down and hung around on skid row in L.A. because he wanted to get stimulated for writing this material. He called me up and said, 'I went down to skid row ... I bought a pint of rye. In a brown paper bag.' I said, 'Oh really?.' 'Yeah – hunkered down, drank the pint of rye, went home, threw up, and wrote 'Tom Traubert's Blues' () every guy down there... everyone I spoke to, a woman put him there." Howe recorded and produced "Tom Traubert's Blues" during ''Small Change''s recording sessions. The sessions were held at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco, California from July 15 to July 29, 1976. The song was recorded direct to ½-inch two-track stereo tape.〔〔Humphries, pg. 91〕 Waits and Howe decided to record on a two-track console to ensure the song did not sound overproduced. Howe later commented that "jazz is more about getting a good take, not about having a lot of tracks to mix."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tom Traubert's Blues」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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