Hang On St. Christopher

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"Hang On St. Christopher"
Tom Waits - Hang on St Christopher.jpg
Single by Tom Waits
from the album Franks Wild Years
B-side "Hang On St. Christopher (Instrumental)"
Released1987 (1987)
RecordedSunset Sound Factory, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Universal Recording Corp., Chicago
Genre Experimental rock
Length2:46
Label Island
Songwriter(s) Tom Waits
Producer(s) Tom Waits
Tom Waits singles chronology
"Downtown Train"
(1985)
"Hang On St. Christopher"
(1987)
"16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six"
(1988)

"Hang On St. Christopher" is a song by Tom Waits appearing on his 1987 album Franks Wild Years . It was released as a single in 1987 by Island Records. The song centers around Frank O'Brien, a character who Waits concocted during the making of Swordfishtrombones in 1983. A series of road oriented imagery is evoked in the lyrics, which are sung from the perspective of O'Brien, a downtrodden individual who leaves behind his family and hometown in hopes of attaining a more prosperous future. During his journey, the protagonist carries a medallion dedicated to Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travel. [1]

Contents

Greg Cohen developed the North-African influenced horn arrangement in the recording studio and also played an alto horn on the song. A set of Leslie bass pedals were placed on a kitchen table and operated by William Schimmel using his fists. These musicians were augmented by Ralph Carney on tenor saxophone, Marc Ribot on guitar, and Michael Blair on drums. [1] [2]

Accolades

YearPublicationCountryAccoladeRank
2000 Elvis Costello United KingdomThe Best Songs from the 500 Best Albums Ever [3] *
2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame United StatesThe Songs That Shaped Rock [4] *
2005Bruce PollockUnited StatesThe 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000 [5] *

(*) designates unordered lists.

Formats and track listing

All songs written by Tom Waits.

US 12" single (0-96750)
  1. "Hang On St. Christopher" (Extended Remixed version) – 5:02
  2. "Hang On St. Christopher" (Instrumental version) – 2:50

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes. [6]

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
United States1987 Island LP 0-96750

Cover versions

The song was covered by BulletBoys on their second album, 1991's Freakshow , and a video was made to promote the release. The song was also covered by Rod Stewart on his 1995 album A Spanner in the Works .

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References

  1. 1 2 Janovitz, Bill. "Hang on St. Christopher - Tom Waits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  2. Birch, Ian (October 1987). "Tom Waits Is Flying Upside Down (On Purpose)". Musician via Tom Waits Library.
  3. "Costello's 500". Vanity Fair . November 1, 2000. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  4. "The Songs That Shaped Rock". rockhall.com. 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  5. The All-Time Top 100 Singles (2000). Routledge. 2005. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  6. Hang On St. Christopher (sleeve). Tom Waits. London, United Kingdom: Island Records. 1987.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)