Tom Waits - Make It Rain - Live on Letterman Show

[mxyzptlk133]

When the guitar solo starts, Tom looks at the guitar player as "GET IT RIGHT...INTESNITY, DYING WAILING!!!" We got scared...

[Thylovely4you]

this is so amazing, all the passion in his performance

[bbailey17b]

Taps into something way way down that Otis Redding knew about

[falamble]

powerful fucking performance by waits here.

so much more expression in this performance than in just hearing the album version. Before I had only heard this song, now I can feel it.

gave me the chills.

[Horroxify]

im not able , im just cain make it rain!

[SGTxPuszka]

what is wrong with his vocal cords



[MrCarl220]

@SGTxPuszka Just his style!

[bananaphoneist]

@SGTxPuszka They have attitude and bad-assery that most do not have, soul and passion.

[bahhhmeran]

He contributed as much to vocals what every single guitarist in the 70s did for their discipline.

[bananaphoneist]

@bahhhmeran Is that an insult or compliment?

[Archie4]

My girlfriend and her mother refuse to believe Tom Waits is white.

[BluzJack]

Can you feel it...brilliant

[bugietube]

It's like someone put Lyle Lovett and James Hetfield in the microwave and fell asleep...

[Claythargic]

I have Chills over my entire body...another amazing performance by one of the worlds greatest.

[SeriousSgtStu]

If America was populated by circus freaks, Tom Waits would be Bruce Springsteen.

[jazzbazz56]

Best video of all time!!!

[Paaaaaaaaaaap]

No comments, only music : I like it very much

[tacthase]

Amazing. Any way,who's the guitar player? Is it Judah bauer?

[XpLdR]

One of the best lyrics I've ever heard.

[z1e2v1]

does this make anyone else think about austin texas?

[dragon7590]

to me he is the only voice that is an angel and demon at the same time.so cool!

[locowedoful]

amazing.......

[theseRlyrics]

he's still got it after all these years!! Jeez!

[GriffonKeeper]

What a performance!!!!!

[jazzbazz56]

Brilliant

[juanjogalvan]

Great man, Waits + bBlues Explosion terrific!! what the bassman name?

[bobblehead67]

@juanjogalvan Larry Taylor! A monster on upright, he's played on Waits's records for years, and made his bones with Canned Heat back in the '60's.

[Malikarcanum]

Always loved this song. I see it as kinda a hearkening back to his Heartattack & Vine days. This song would've fit right in there.

[Lethor34]

C'est vrai, c'est juste, c'est touchant. C'est hallucinant.

[shashainfrance]

@BigCM06: LOL, I share your grave concern. @preteen: fuckin' A.

[Bifkeki]

i've been a music fan for years now, and i'm open minded, and tolerant of lots of styles of music. in my travels, i've heard of Tom Waits, but to be honest, never bothered to listen to his material ...until today.

all i can say is ...simply brilliant !!!

[TheTomsoutham]

Blues Explosion MAN!

[LexWick]

russel simmon judah bauer yeah

[MrDuckfeet]

ultraviolet99, You're probably right!

[MrDuckfeet]

@AeolianSeventh So your counter-comment doesn't constitute a rant? Right then, that's sorted! I wouldn't consider myself a "musical elitist" since I enjoy an extended eclectic range of musical styles. Rap is not a musical style: it is the unimaginative and unmusical shouting of banal obscenities down a microphone by untalented and repulsive morons. I simply do not wish to have that tuneless, brainless cacophony assaulting my eardrums without invitation whenever I try to access real music. OK?

[ultraviolet99]

@MrDuckfeet

You've obviously never listened to Eric B and Rakim, Public Enemy, Chi Ali, or even guys like Charles Hamilton.

And by the bye, Waits listens to Fat Joe and Jay-Z. Look it up. Accept it. Oh, and stop acting like a twat. (You can always spot one when they use the word 'eclectic' to describe their taste.)

[campoobutt]

@ultraviolet99 That's a bit much. Someone's not a twat just because they're eclectic. That guy is, most definitely, but still.

[minimonkey252]

This man is beyond incredible

[MrDuckfeet]

YouTube needs to get its act together and nuke all that (C)RAP bilge that pollutes the search engine whenever I try to access Make It Rain by Tom Waits. Real music lovers, i.e Blues, Soul, Rock don't wish to listen to the unmusical bollocks that the purveyors of (c)rap keep polluting the world with. The sooner the brain-dead of this world realise this, the better off we'll all be.

[AeolianSeventh]

@MrDuckfeet YouTube needs to get its act together and nuke all that idiotic genre-bashing polemic that pollutes the comment sections whenever I try to listen to music. Real music lovers, i.e. lover of the best of any style and genre, don't wish to put up with the rantings that the musical elitists keep polluting the internet. The sooner the brain-dead of the world realize this, the better off we'll all be.

[max55co]

MAKE IT.........

[TraumaWard313]

this gives me goosebumps.

[TheWillahern]

such a cool tune,good on ya tom,young band and all

[TiagoMcCready]

TOM is a BOSS.

[travisvallance]

I honestly get goosebumps watching this. Absolutely amazing. Recorded off of cable TV of all things. I guess the Gummy Bear is a lot better, concidering the number of hits it gets compared to this. How this sits here, modestly viewed... I suppose is appropriate. I won't believe in the mercy of the world again, either. Cheers, Tom. It's probably not a coincidence that 1% of the worlds population makes 99% of the difference in it.

[LaGrandeBeaute]

This album was heavily inspired by hip hop and rap music. So yeah....I think it's awesome Tom Waits is showing up when you search for some rap songs. and vice versa.

[mikevleigh]

Is that Bob Dylan's guitarist also?

[WatsonJeffJ]

Does it get better than this?

[yonimiller]

Wish Mozart or Bach were around to hear this 1.

[luua21]

just great!

p.s. look at his hand at 2:32

[Theharrytuttle99]

This is one of his most amazing performances. He just gets better and better with age. I can't understand anyone who says he can't sing...he has more soul and range in one note than most do in a career!

[Mikeoftherox]

Tom waits is the musical equivalent of bukowski!

[SwampDaddy7]

Judah Bauer, Russel Simins and Tom Waits? I think this lineup's pretty awesome.

[Putaspellonyou]

tom waits with jsbx. that would be a hell of a ticket! but way too much compression on the bass...

[Putaspellonyou]

tom waits with jsbx. that would be a hell of a ticket!

[lederbandl]

man, I love that uni vibe chord strumming sound of the guitar... great song.

[yonimiller]

Shaman!

[mistermendola]

poor john spencer...

[oilcraze]

His performance alone is worth an Oscar, and his voice is certainly unique. A lot more depth than the Beatles.

[kingmadrox87]

this song is for my ex- i call it benny's song-he brought it on himself

[rykkjo]

If you dont like this you have no soul!

[speedoman2488]

God damnit this is good.

[526723]

........They sharpened their knifes on my mistakes............... Real nice lyrics.

[ferret12]

I would LOVE to hear this song with some gospel backup singers.

[BigCM06]

when I search the internet for "Make It Rain," I get about 10 thousand rap videos for every 1 or 2 Tom Waits videos.

this makes me sad, but more so it makes me worry for the future of our planet.

[lobolokoloko]

There are things that MUST be rare...

[noutjie]

@BigCM06 it's not because it's rap that it ain't good. Nevertheless, the future is dark

[DukeMcManhands]

@BigCM06 i, too, worry about the future of our planet because people don't like the same music as me.

oh wait, that's fucking stupid.

[peter2336]

@DukeMcManhands i believe he`s referring to the search results and the unexplainable interest in rap music today.You , are clearly the one who`s fucking stupid....

[RhymeByRhyme]

@peter2336 it's unexplainable 'cause you can't stand it...right?!

I guess so since, whatever else you could say about it, it would just be the reason 'cause you don't like rap...so..I guess he was being sarcastic and not stupid at all! ;)

[RubyBladeAwesome]

@BigCM06 But you gotta make it rain, make it rain, on dem hoes...shit, they've got their claws in me already.

[Bullyisdead]

@BigCM06 I'm not worried. Let the pawns have their shite.

[kakuify]

@BigCM06

Man you are not alone at least! I and a lot of other people think the same thing...:p

[TSpike73]

@BigCM06 yes, that's definitely way too much rain and we'll all have to start growing nothing but rice... :/

[ShaneMacgowanFan93]

@BigCM06 Tom Waits should do a rap album. That'll shown 'em. He would probably be good at it too.

[anotherRickinthewall]

@ShaneMacgowanFan93 He sang a song on the N.A.S.A. album 'spirit of the apollo'.

[preteenpoultry]

To those lucky viewers who went to see David fucking Letterman and got to see Mr. Tom Waits, i stand envious.

[rlegear19]

Tom Waits on Letterman is the best.

[ravensimone13]

i stand envious as well, except for the David fucking Letterman part.

[Nolanfan26]

@ravensimone13 What? no love for letterman? Keep in mind that he is one of the only people who will have people like tom waits on his show. He also was one of the few to have Andy Kaufman on, and he was on there more than anywhere else. Letterman may not be as great as he once was, but without him there is no Conan, or Coco as it were.

[pretorious700]

@Nolanfan26 Yeah, Dave was okay back then-now he's a bitter old man...go figure.

[svenskflicka07]

@Nolanfan26 none of this matters. tom waits.

[sclogse1]

@preteenpoultry

Have a seat and join the rest of us envy types. At least we get these closeups. I saw Tom a few times, but the last in a front row seat for his Glitter and Doom tour. Funny thing, you are very close, and because the front row is usually down below the stage a bit, Tom stands kind of above you...plus he was on a platform filled with foot devices...a fight bell, lots of powder to stomp on. Anyway, waht your realize is that he plays to the seats way past you....and you kinda watch.

[wc4dblues]

@sclogse1 HEY, I'VE NEVER SEEN HIM EITHER, and I live down the road from him, I see him in the store, but not in concert.... I even said hi to him once. But I've never seen him where I want to see him...... life's so unfair.

[salsburysteakjr]

@wc4dblues You saw TOM WAITS in a store?! What kinda store was it? I think if I was picking out apples and putting them into my cart, and Tom Waits was casually looking for fresh lettuce beside me, I'd of felt a little delirious and unsure of my sanity.

[girardey1]

"They sharpen their knives on my mistakes, I stand alone here" NO ONE comes close to this guys genuis in the music world. Small band, no special fx just inspiration and guts.

[1stDUDEoftheTUBE]

THIS very performance is just fuckin GOD-LIKE.

[stevietheflea]

You should have sen him at The Fox in Atlanta, 6/5/08!

[jeremylater]

this is obviously a man who puts his all into everything he does artistically. he made me a pizza once, and talked shit about mother mary.

[jcisbell]

Made you a pizza? That must be a story.

[rlegear19]

Was that at Napoleanes, just before he got off work to meet his girl on Montgomery Avenue?

[stevietheflea]

Ha ha!

[JiffySpook]

Come again?

[phoebexanne]

@jeremylater Tom Waits made you a pizza?! Far out!

[jeremylater]

@phoebexanne yeah, he lives in the same county as me. I used to work for a courier comp. and I had to deliver a movie script to him...I ended up hanging out with his son the next day and played some music in his garage and then we hung out in the kitchen for the night, while Tom made pizza. He tosses his own dough, of course.

[phoebexanne]

@jeremylater Great story and experience!! wow!

[snackman138]

"I'm not Able, I'm just Cain"

the man who Waits for no man is a fucking genius, that's really all there is to it....

[Youtubajax]

This conversation just Makes me Rain

[illaheedude101]

he has a really interesting way of things... my dad LOVES him!!!! a true poet, i think.

[Harrypottergals123]

It would be quite nice to see you take things in a tween's perspective. Capaciously nice, in fact. Consider it, will you? And I would prefer for you to stay civilized, for I am simply reasoning.

Thank you, and have a nice night.

[megalman1]

Does anyone know why this person can't speak English properly?

For that matter, does anyone know why this pre-pubescent brat is writing derogatory comments toward somebody's singing style. He's better than you ever will be. Thats the only answer you need.

[megalman1]

With a response like that I'd be surprised if you're able to work a cheese grater.

[spoookytooth]

larry "the mole" taylor on bass. formerly canned heat

[skeetrosauce]

A fuckin poet.

[paul1biancolli]

That's the Devil in person.

[purplesimba]

Now thats a fucking performance!!!!! Damn Tom!

[skeetrosauce]

i know dude.

I saw another YT comment where the person said its like he plays every song as if he was dying and it was the last song he could sing.

[ayisa001]

oh yeah

[lumaz71]

the best singer of the rain...god bless ya tom..

[TheDoubtingThomas]

Tom Waits is all Tom Waits.

[AjInfinity]

Amen

[shawnandredavis]

One of my favorite live performances

[GRAILKNIGHTPARZIFAL]

Its like a cement wall of emotion flying right at ya..

[JoelTarnabene]

Listen to the "I'm close to heaven/crushed at the gate"-verse. If that isn't a political commentary on Bush's doings I don't know what is. And sure it rains now, almost prophetic.

[annabelllee1967]

Oh yea... Tom Waits was really feeling the politics when he wrote this one!!

[AudioSuede]

Hahaha, I will forever think of this when a rapper says he's going to "make it rain".

[annabelllee1967]

Hauntingly addictive. Love Tom.

[MaRaGeoRGe]

.....i stand alone here

make it rain.....

awesome performance!

[regularpony]

judah's guitar tone kills me. and his solo is way superior to the one on the album. this is one of my favourite television performances of all time.

[beanmartian]

Thats two thirds of the Blues Explosion there friends. A quality choice Mr Waits.

[themitchies]

unparalleled song writer.

[Joesakic1988]

he sucks!!!1

[geffen666]

when is this recorded??

[RatherStupid]

2004

[jiggerlicious]

Tom - U might be the devil - but around here - youre a god.

[the1knownasDustin]

"I'm not Abel; I'm just Cain. Open up the heavens, and make it rain" - one of my new favorite lyrics by him. awesome.

[KingOfWhiteTrash1]

I am addicted to this tune. Been watching it a dozen times a day of late. I'm also thinking of taking up a "House Where Nobody Lives" habit.

[WAITES1234]

i can never get enough of tom .....brilliant .

[xBillyTheKidx]

unreal.

[NikmansOo]

Tom is a modern-day hero

[jerichosalt]

he really is.

[H82Sayit]

One word : unfuckingbelievablyawesome

[33brave33]

hey, hey that's spencer's blues exlposion guys....

[EmoGirlx2x]

This song is so beautiful.

Tom Waits is really unique.

[kingjeremy13]

Amazing...this song means a lot to me...and this live version is simply harrowing...Tom is God

[radiostardust]

I managed to see Tom live this past July. I'm so glad I did. Mad Genius.

[socalkevinz]

i love the intencity in his face

[Borbatr]

Tom Waits is fucking god.

Freaking awesome, like you said, can't get much better than this.

[riovuaeb]

Doesn't get much better than this. Best!

[themouthofmadness]

tom is god

[Stridology]

Tom is THE coolest MoFo with a pulse on this planet!

Words are Fully DEEP!

[AndyNarcotic]

Fukin love this song

[henklewinker]

i thought this was lil wayne and fat joe (didnt read the whole thing) and what the fuck is this

[AlbZippy]

I feel the pain of loss. So much emotion, so much,It makes me cry every time I hear. You got to make it rain, make it rain. my face is wet with tears.

[grungethequeen]

i've given his music so many chances and i just haven't gotten into his voice.

i wish it had less pauses or was more like singing... he's a cool ass cat, no doubt about that, but i think i just don't get his voice at this point in my life

[denacioust]

Listen to Closing Time. Compared with his other albums the meaning is a little more superficial, but the music and his voice are fantastic and much easier to listen to for first time listeners.

[RedBeardRover]

I agree, you need to listen to Tom Waits chronologically if you really want to appreciate the music today. The guy is stunning - check out 'What's he builing in there', it's pure genius.

[radiathor]

try listening to the soundtrack of francis ford coppola`s "one from the heart". I tell you, he can sing!!

[cheekybob1971]

You hate this music then fighterneo1?

[fighterneo1]

where'd you find him in the dumpster on a rainy day?

[nothingbysilence]

o my god.. i dont agree on that ..

[bourbon]

Regarding thos e who critisize and analyze. Ever heard of art. Art is about emotion dunbasses. TW+BMF

[bourbon]

Holy S**T! TW Thanx

[Catigus]

When I first found Tom Waits I listened to his voice and I thought it was a joke, I didn't listen to the soul, emotion and heart of the music. Now I love his voice and I couldn't imagine his songs sounding any better without it. When I am in a crappy mood, his voice melts everything away, and it is very relaxing to me. I love his music, he is a lyrical and musical genius.

[stratocasterfinland]

I bought Real Gone yesterday.

[STEELandBEAST]

loving judah bauer and russel simins! god damn.

[msneverquit]

Tom Waits PROVES that you sing like a weed-wacker, can't dance a lick, but if you ACT passionately, sooner or later you'll be accepted and listened to....I found him in the late '60's and everybody shut him off. Now that there's so much crap, he sounds sweet. Win By Contrast is the name of the musical game baby. His poetry aint' bad either.

[tommie66tx]

found him in the 60's? well since he didnt't start recording music till the 70's I doubt that. Anyway, if you don't like it stop listening to it fuck head.

[skateboarderek]

this song is fantastic

[fucked13up]

if you like tom waits

check out

old house playground

[ldnearthesea]

Regarding the voice: it's affected! He can be heard not singing like this on some of his music, not just the first two albums back in 1973 or '74. Check the movie "Down by Law" from the mid-80's. He sings briefly in that movie and without the hoarseness. He has a loung-act whisper voice too, used in "One From the Heart" in which he did duets with Crystal Gayle! Anyway, his voice, good or bad, has had a lot to do with his success as a music artist!

[nakedinsuburbia]

I didn't know there was a point in which 2/3 of the blues explosion played with Waits.Total awesome.

[revolutionday1]

Tom Waits "makes it rain on 'dem hoes"!