Check Out This Tune: “Hold On” by Tom Waits | BaronHead
BaronHead shares a raw acoustic take on “Hold On” by Tom Waits, plus thoughts on groove, feel, live looping, and real music.
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5/26/20261 min read
Every once in a while, a song just follows you through life.
Not because it’s overplayed on the radio.
Not because it’s technically perfect.
Because it feels like it’s been through something.
That’s “Hold On” by Tom Waits for me.
If you don’t know the tune, go fix that immediately.
This was one of the standout tracks off Mule Variations — the record that earned Tom Waits a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album back in 1999, while “Hold On” itself picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. (Wikipedia)
Which honestly makes perfect sense.
The song has everything that makes Tom Waits great:
grit
soul
strange beauty
road-worn truth
and that feeling like the whole thing could either fall apart or completely save you at the exact same moment
That’s rock and roll.
So I wanted to throw my own BaronHead spin on it.
Not polished.
Not overthought.
Just one of those late-night kind of tunes that sounds best when you let it breathe.
The older I get, the more I appreciate songs with scars on them.
Songs that leave room for space.
Songs that don’t rush.
Songs that trust the groove.
That’s shaped the way I play now more than anything else.
Years of live looping and performing solo have taught me something important:
Simpler usually hits harder.
Especially with songs like this.
You don’t need twenty layers.
You don’t need a thousand notes.
You need feel.
Tom Waits has always understood that better than most.
If you’re into:
Tom Waits
Little Feat
Neil Young
Grateful Dead
The Band
late-night Americana vibes
stripped-down acoustic performances
imperfect but real music
…this tune will probably hit you too.
Anyway, check it out.
Throw it on late at night with a drink nearby and see where it takes you.
– BaronHead
