"Ol' '55" is a song by American musician

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 ...

. It is the opening track and lead single from Waits' debut studio album, '' Closing Time'', released in March 1973 on

Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/Asylu ...

. 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. The title, "Ol' '55", refers to the singer's vehicle, almost certainly the legendary 1955 Cadillac Waits owned, although it could refer to other 1955 model year American cars. 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." About one year later, while interviewed for

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

, 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.” The song was used for

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, ...

Brodie Lee Jonathan Huber (December 16, 1979 – December 26, 2020) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Luke Harper (later simply Harper) from 2012 to 2019, and in All E ...

tribute video during his Celebration of Life. AEW President and CEO

Tony Khan Antony Rafiq Khan (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, promoter, and sports executive. He is known for his involvement in American football, professional wrestling and soccer. He is best known as the founder and co-owner of All E ...

purchased the rights to the song in

perpetuity A perpetuity is an annuity that has no end, or a stream of cash payments that continues forever. There are few actual perpetuities in existence. For example, the United Kingdom (UK) government issued them in the past; these were known as conso ...

, saying "so the tribute will last forever".

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 Iain Matthews (born Ian Matthews MacDonald, 16 June 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was an original member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention from 1967 to 1969 before leaving to form his own band, Matthew ...

, 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 Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is '' Surfacing'', for which she won two Grammy Awards (ou ...

on ''

The Freedom Sessions ''The Freedom Sessions'' is an album by Sarah McLachlan which was released on 6 December 1994 on Nettwerk in Canada and on 28 March 1995 on Arista Records in the United States. The album consisted primarily of previously unreleased alternative ve ...

'' *1999 Acda en De Munnik on the 1999 bonus album '' Live in de orangerie'' *1999

K's Choice K's Choice is a Belgian rock band from Antwerp, formed in the mid-1990s. The band's core members are brothers Sam Bettens (lead vocals, guitar) and Gert Bettens (guitar, keyboard, vocals). They are joined by Bart Van Lierde (bass), Tom Lodewyc ...

on the enhanced CD ''Extra Cocoon - All Access'' *2009 Sass Jordan on the album ''From Dusk 'Til Dawn'' *2010

Gov't Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''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 Shelby Lynne (born Shelby Lynn Moorer, October 22, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter and the older sister of singer-songwriter Allison Moorer. The success of her pop rock album '' I Am Shelby Lynne'' (1999) led to her winning the Grammy ...

Allison Moorer Allison Moorer (born June 21, 1972) is an American singer/songwriter. She signed with MCA Nashville in 1997 and made her debut on the U.S. Billboard Country Chart with the release of her debut single, “A Soft Place To Fall,” which she co-wr ...

on the album ''Come On Up to the House - Women Sing Waits''

References

1973 debut singles Asylum Records singles Eagles (band) songs Iain Matthews songs Songs written by Tom Waits Songs about cars Tom Waits songs {{1970s-single-stub