Back in the Crowd

Last updated
"Back in the Crowd"
Tom Waits - Back in the Crowd single.jpg
Single by Tom Waits
from the album Bad as Me
ReleasedSeptember 27, 2011 (2011-09-27)
Genre Rock, Latin
Length2:49
Label ANTI-, Epitaph [1]
Songwriter(s) Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan
Producer(s) Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan
Tom Waits singles chronology
"Bad as Me"
(2011)		"Back in the Crowd"
(2011)

"Back in the Crowd" is a song by American rock musician Tom Waits. It is the second single and seventh track from Waits' seventeenth studio album, Bad as Me . [2] [3] Written and produced by Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan, the song was released on September 27, 2011 as a digital download via iTunes and Spotify. [4]

Contents

Music

"Back in the Crowd" is a guitar-driven Latin-influenced midtempo ballad. [5] It features guitar work from Los Lobos guitarist and vocalist David Hidalgo and longtime collaborator Marc Ribot. [4]

Tom Waits described the song as "an old fashioned jukebox tune for a slow dance with your girl (or guy)." [3] [6]

Critical reception

Upon its release, the song received mainly positive reviews. Thom Jurek of Allmusic described the song as "the wasted lover's plea in the West Texas mariachi." [7] Filter magazine wrote: "the song is obviously short and oftentimes tinged with bittersweetness", also adding that "Waits' deep croon evokes the sadness found in the song's mellow melody and lyrics." [8] Luke Larsen of Paste magazine praised the song, reporting that "the song sort of just casually shows up and then disappears, but its mood is infectious." [9] Katie Hasty of Hitfix described the song as a "The Southwestern, nylon-string-enhanced loner ballad" and "a trending bawler," also further explaining that "she just slow-danced by herself and had a good cry." [10] Michael Roffman of Consequence of Sound indicated that "the song doesn’t sound like a track that’s on an album titled Bad as Me", while commenting that it is "most likely something your grandparents danced to after the war." [11]

Personnel

Chart positions

Chart (2011)Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders) [12] 73

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References

  1. ↑ ""Back in the Crowd" in Anti Records" . Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Tom Waits - "Back in the Crowd"". Exclaim! . September 27, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "New Tom Waits Single Available". The Quietus . September 27, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Breihan, Tom (Sep 27, 2011). "Tom Waits – "Back In The Crowd"". Stereogum . Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  5. ↑ Mallika, Rao (September 28, 2011). "Tom Waits' 'Back In The Crowd,' Second Track Off 'Bad As Me'". The Huffington Post . Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  6. ↑ Murray, Robin (September 27, 2011). "Tom Waits Releases New Single". Clash . Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  7. ↑ Jurek, Thom. "Tom Waits - Back in the Crowd". Allmusic . Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  8. ↑ "LOOK: Tom Waits Is "Back In The Crowd"". Filter . September 27, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  9. ↑ Larsen, Luke (September 28, 2011). "Hear new Tom Waits song, "Back in the Crowd"". Paste . Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  10. ↑ Hasty, Katie (September 27, 2013). "Listen: Tom Waits' 'Back in the Crowd' is a bawler". Hitfix . Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  11. ↑ Roffman, Michael (September 27, 2011). "Check Out: Tom Waits – "Back in the Crowd"". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  12. ↑ "ultratop.be - Tom Waits - Back In The Crowd". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
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