Tom Waits "Martha"

With one of the most unmistakable voices in rock 'n roll history, Tom Waits is at his best when he sings about romance. He sounds like 10,000 miles of unfiltered cigarettes and hard drinking but comes across with more tenderness than his voice allows.

"Martha" is one of the deepest cuts you'll find when it comes to amazing love songs. The closing song on Side 1 of Closing Time, Waits' first album, it's a classic story of a lonely ex-lover, reaching out to feel that old spark one more time.

The verses tell a sad tale with the faintest hope, but the chorus is where the song really soars. Waits makes you want to be the woman he croons for. Anyone who can make someone sing like that must have a good thing going.

Bette Midler, who Waits had an off-and-on relationship throughout the 1970s, performed the song on Saturday Night Live, giving it new life nearly a decade after its release. 

Location: Michigan, USA

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