"Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" is a song written and performed by
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
, released on his 1978 album ''
Blue Valentine''.
[''Blue Valentine'' track listing](_blank)
– Tom Waits Official Website – accessed May 31, 2010
Lyrics
"Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" has been described as a "
laconic
A laconic phrase or laconism is a concise or terse statement, especially a blunt and elliptical rejoinder. It is named after Laconia, the region of Greece including the city of Sparta, whose ancient inhabitants had a reputation for verbal auster ...
first-person sketch".
The song's lyrics narrate a letter written by a
prostitute to a man named Charlie. She reveals that she is pregnant, says she has quit alcohol and drugs, describes her current living circumstances (including her stable relationship with a new husband who promises to raise her arriving baby like he would his own son), and outlines the better choices she would make if she "still had all the money we used to spend on
dope". At the song's conclusion, the author confesses to Charlie that she has been lying to him; she does not have a husband, is currently serving time in prison, and will be eligible for
parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
on
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...
.
Personnel
*
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
– lead vocal, acoustic piano
*Da Willie Gonga (
George Duke) – electric grand piano
Live performances
In the late 1970s, Waits often performed "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" as a medley with "
Goin' Out Of My Head
"Goin' Out of My Head" is a song written by Teddy Randazzo and Bobby Weinstein, initially recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials in 1964. Randazzo, a childhood friend of the group, wrote the song especially for them, having also supplied ...
," originally recorded by
Little Anthony & the Imperials
Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/soul vocal group from New York City founded by Clarence Collins in the 1950s and named in part for its lead singer, Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his h ...
, and "
Silent Night
"Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...
," the popular
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...
.
["Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis" lyrics](_blank)
– Tom Waits Library – accessed October 7, 2016
For a performance in New York on November 21, 1985, Waits introduced the song with the following anecdote:
Reception
Denise Sullivan
Denise Sullivan is an American music journalist, cultural worker and reporter, author of several music biographies including the critically acclaimed music-history book, ''Keep on Pushing: Black Power Music from Blues to Hip-hop'', and editor of t ...
, writing for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
, described "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" as "
e of Tom Waits' most beloved songs from one of his more obscure albums... The song showcases Waits playing a barroom piano melody, weaving words together -- in essence, doing what he does best in one long, bittersweet song."
Cover versions
"Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" has been covered by a number of notable bands and artists, including
Interzone in 1981,
Magnapop
Magnapop is an American rock band based in Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1989, the band has consistently included songwriting duo Linda Hopper as vocalist and Ruthie Morris on guitar. Magnapop first achieved recognition in the Benelux countries of ...
in 1995 for ''
Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits'',
Kacey Jones
Gail Zeiler (April 27, 1950 – September 1, 2016), known professionally as Kacey Jones, was an American singer-songwriter, producer and humorist. After co-writing the Mickey Gilley hit " I'm the One Mama Warned You About" (credited as Gayle Zei ...
in 2000,
Wolfgang Ambros
Wolfgang Ambros is an Austrian singer-songwriter. He is one of the most important contemporary Austrian musicians and is considered to be one of the founders of Austropop.
Life
1952–1970
Wolfgang Ambros was born in the Semmelweisklin ...
in 2000,
David Broza
David Simon Berwick Broza ( he, דויד ברוזה; born September 4, 1955) is an Israeli singer-songwriter. His music mixes modern pop with Spanish music.
Biography
David Broza was born in Haifa, Israel. His father was an Israeli–British bus ...
in 2001, and
Aslan
Aslan () is a major character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. Unlike any other character, he appears in all seven chronicles of the series. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion, and is described as the King of Beasts, the ...
in 2005.
Neko Case's cover version, featured on the Tom Waits
tribute album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
''
New Coat of Paint'' (2002), received critical praise. Denise Sullivan, writing for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
, wrote that "her fragile but tough delivery, accompanied by "church" organ gave the song a whole new kitschy, "
hooker with a heart of gold
The hooker with a heart of gold is a stock character involving a courtesan or prostitute who possesses virtues such as integrity, generosity and kindness.
Characteristics
The character type is defined by morally positive traits, which are contra ...
" dimension."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis
Songs written by Tom Waits
1978 songs
Tom Waits songs
Song recordings produced by Bones Howe
Songs about Minnesota
Songs about prostitutes