The discography of the American rock musician Tom Waits spans five decades. It consists of 17 studio albums, 3 live albums, 7 compilation albums, 23 singles, 2 soundtracks, and 1 box set. Waits has also released one video album and 16 music videos.
Waits's debut release was the 1973 single "Ol' '55", which was the lead single for his debut album Closing Time (1973). He began recording in 1971, but these first sessions would not be released until the beginning of the 1990s. For most of the 1970s he recorded for Asylum Records. After cutting his first soundtrack album for the Francis Ford Coppola musical film One from the Heart, Waits signed with Island Records for the 1980s.
The release of Bone Machine in 1992 brought him a Grammy Award, after a less prolific decade. After Island Records, Waits moved to Anti/Epitaph for Mule Variations, an album that won him a second Grammy. Since the mid-1980s, he has collaborated with his wife Kathleen Brennan. His latest studio album, titled Bad as Me, was released in 2011.
As of 2011, according to Nielsen Soundscan, Waits has sold 4.6 million albums in the United States.
Albums Studio albums Year Album details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications(sales thresholds) US AUSPeaks in Australia: All peaks pre-1988 (Kent Music Report): All peaks after 1988 except noted: Orphans, Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards: All ARIA peaks N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. AUT FRA GER IRL NLD NOR SWE UK 1973 Closing Time Released: March 6, 1973 Label: Asylum (53 030) Formats: LP, CD — — — — 44 29 — — — —BPI: Gold N.B. User must define search parameters and enter "Tom Waits" into the Search field, select "Artist" in the Search by field, and click Go. 1974 The Heart of Saturday Night Released: October 15, 1974 Label: Asylum (53 035) Formats: LP, CD 201 — — — — — — — — —BPI: Gold 1975 Nighthawks at the Diner Released: October 21, 1975 Label: Asylum (63002) Formats: 2×LP, CS, CD 164 — — — — — — — — —BPI: Silver 1976 Small Change Released: September 21, 1976 Label: Asylum (53 050) Formats: LP, CD 89 — — — — — — — — —ARIA: Gold BPI: Silver 1977 Foreign Affairs Released: September 13, 1977 Label: Asylum (53 068) Formats: LP, CS, CD 113 — — — — — — — — — 1978 Blue Valentine Released: September 5, 1978 Label: Asylum (53 088) Formats: LP, CS, CD 181 42 — — — — — — — —BPI: Gold 1980 Heartattack and Vine Released: September 9, 1980 Label: Asylum (52 252) Formats: LP, CS, CD 96 31 — — — 81 — — — — 1983 Swordfishtrombones Released: September 1, 1983 Label: Island (90095) Formats: LP, CS, CD 167 — — — — — 48 18 — 62BPI: Silver 1985 Rain Dogs Released: September 30, 1985 Label: Island (90299) Formats: LP, CS, CD 181 49 26 — — — 23 12 5 29RIAA: Gold BPI: Gold MC: Gold N.B. User must define search parameters and enter "Tom Waits" into the Artist field and click Search. 1987 Franks Wild Years Released: August 17, 1987 Label: Island (90572) Formats: LP, CS, CD 115 83 24 — 49 — 21 13 17 20MC: Gold 1992 Bone Machine Released: September 8, 1992 Label: Island (512 580) Formats: CD, LP, CS 176 41 22 — 42 — 31 15 38 26 1993 The Black Rider Released: November 2, 1993 Label: Island (518 559) Formats: CD, LP 130 165 — — — — 68 — — 47 1999 Mule Variations Released: April 16, 1999 Label: Anti- (86547) Formats: CD, 2×LP, CS, MD 30 13 7 22 4 — 12 1 7 9 US: 440,000 Europe: 500,000 WW: 1,000,000RIAA: Gold BPI: Silver MC: Gold NVPI: Platinum 2002 Alice Released: May 4, 2002 Label: Anti- (86632) Formats: CD, LP 33 26 3 27 10 5 16 3 13 20US: 140,000 Europe: 250,000NVPI: Gold Blood Money Released: May 4, 2002 Label: Anti- (86629) Formats: CD, LP 32 25 5 36 9 4 21 4 12 21US: 143,000NVPI: Gold 2004 Real Gone Released: October 3, 2004 Label: Anti- (86678) Formats: CD, 2×LP 28 27 11 39 19 9 10 2 9 16US: 202,000 Europe: 250,000BPI: Silver 2011 Bad as Me Released: October 21, 2011 Label: Anti- (87151) Formats: CD, LP, 2×CD, digital download 6 11 5 28 7 5 3 1 4 10US: 190,000 UK: 40,305 Europe: 200,000
Soundtrack albums Year Album details 1982 One from the Heart (with Crystal Gayle) Released: February 1982 Label: CBS (37703) Formats: LP, CD 1992 Night on Earth Released: April 7, 1992 Label: Island (510 725) Formats: CD, LP
Live albums Year Album details Peak chart positions US AUS AUT FRA GER IRL NLD NOR SWE UK 1988 Big Time Released: September 1988 Label: Island (90987) Format: LP, CD, CS 152 110 — — — — — — 36 84 2009 Glitter and Doom Live Released: November 23, 2009 Label: Anti- (87053) Format: 2×CD, 2×LP, digital download 63 113 30 91 61 44 36 5 46 76
Compilation albums Year Album details Peak chart positions AUS AUT NOR NZL UK 1981 Bounced Checks Released: 1981 Label: Asylum (52 316) Formats: LP, CS 75 — — 24 — 1984 Anthology of Tom Waits Released: 1984 Label: Asylum (60 416) Formats: LP, CS — — — — — 1986 Asylum Years Released: 1986 Label: Asylum (960 321) Formats: LP, CD 167 — 40 — — 1991 The Early Years, Volume One Released: July 16, 1991 Label: Bizarre/Manifesto Records (40601) Formats: CD, LP — — — — — 1993 The Early Years, Volume Two Released: February 1993 Label: Bizarre/Manifesto Records (40602) Formats: CD, LP — — — — — 1998 Beautiful Maladies – The Island Years Released: June 1998 Label: Island (524 519) Formats: CD 129 — 18 — 63 2001 Used Songs 1973–1980 Released: October 16, 2001 Label: Rhino (78351) Formats: CD — 63 18 — —
Box sets Year Album details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications(sales thresholds) US AUS AUT FRA GER IRL NLD NOR SWE UK 2006 Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards Released: November 20, 2006 Label: Anti- (86844) Formats: 3×CD, 7×LP, digital download 74 59 15 46 26 25 5 4 6 49Europe: 250,000RIAA: Gold N.B. User must define search parameters and enter "Tom Waits" into Search G&P Database and click Search. MC: Gold NVPI: Gold
Singles
Retail singles Year Single Peak chart positions Album AUS BEL FRA UK 1973 "Ol' '55" — — — — Closing Time 1974 "Blue Skies" — — — — non-album single 1975 "San Diego Serenade" — — — — The Heart of Saturday Night 1976 "Step Right Up" — — — — Small Change 1979 "Somewhere" — — — — Blue Valentine 1980 "Jersey Girl" — — — — Heartattack and Vine 1985 "Downtown Train" — — — — Rain Dogs 1986 "In the Neighborhood" — — — 80 Swordfishtrombones 1987 "Hang On St. Christopher" — — — — Franks Wild Years 1988 "16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six" (live) — — — — Big Time 1992 "Goin' Out West" 167 — — — Bone Machine 1999 "Hold On" — — — — Mule Variations 2006 "Lie to Me" — — — — Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards 2011 "Bad as Me" — — 50 — Bad as Me "Back in the Crowd" — 123 — —
Promotional singles Year Single Album 1975 "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night" The Heart of Saturday Night 1985 "Tango Till They're Sore" Down By Law 1993 "Heartattack and Vine" Heartattack and Vine "I'll Shoot the Moon" The Black Rider 2002 "Alice" Alice "God's Away on Business" Blood Money 2004 "How It's Gonna End" Real Gone "Make It Rain"
Other appearances
Studio +YearSong(s)AlbumAlbum typeNotes1985"What Keeps Mankind Alive?"Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt WeilltributeKurt Weill cover1988"Heigh Ho (The Dwarfs Marching Song)"Stay Awakecover of song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs1989"Sea of Love"Sea of LovesoundtrackPhil Phillips cover1990"It's All Right with Me"Red Hot + BluecharityCole Porter cover1996"Fall of Troy" and "Walk Away"Dead Man Walkingsoundtrackoriginal songs1997"Little Drop of Poison"The End of Violence1999"Books of Moses"More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence AlbumtributeSkip Spence cover"On the Road"Jack Kerouac Reads on the RoadanthologyJack Kerouac adaptation, with Primus2000"Putting on the Dog" and "It's Over"Liberty Heightssoundtrackoriginal songs"Rains on Me"Free the West Memphis 3charitywith Chuck E. Weiss2001"Long Way Home" and "Jayne's Blue Wish"Big Bad Lovesoundtrackoriginal song2002"Bend Down the Branches"For the Kidscharityoriginal song, previously featured in 1998 film Bunny2003"The Return of Jackie and Judy"We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to RamonestributeRamones cover2004"King Kong"The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered CoveredDaniel Johnston cover2013"Shenandoah"Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteysvarious artistswith Keith Richards2016"The Soul of a Man" and "John the Revelator"God Don't Never Change: The Songs of Blind Willie JohnsontributeBlind Willie Johnson covers
Live +YearSong(s)AlbumNotes1987various tracksRoy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night1998"Fall of Troy"Rare on Air, Volume Four2003"Way Down In The Hole," "God's Away On Business," "Lost In The Harbor," and "Diamond In Your Mind"Healing the Divide: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliationwith Kronos Quartet
Featured artist and guest spots YearSong(s)AlbumArtist 1975"Your Sweet and Shiney Eyes" Home PlateBonnie Raitt 1979"Waitin for Waits" Hollywood MadnessRichie Cole 1986"Harlem Shuffle" Dirty WorkThe Rolling Stones 1989"Silent Night" SOS UnitedSOS Children's Villages 1989"Date to Church" I'll Be You singleThe Replacements 1991"Tommy the Cat" Sailing the Seas of CheesePrimus 1991"Thousand Bing Bangs" and "The Movie" Devout CatalystKen Nordine 1991"Little Man" and "I'm Not Your Fool Anymore" Mississippi LadTeddy Edwards 1992"Adios Lounge" Beautiful MessThelonious Monster 1993"Tramp and Tom Waits With Full Orchestra" and "Coda: Tom Waits With High Strings" Jesus Blood Never Failed Me YetGavin Bryars 1998"River of Men" and "World of Adventure" Fishing With JohnJohn Lurie 1999"Coattails of a Dead Man" AntipopPrimus 1999"Do You Know What I Idi Amin?" and "It Rains on Me", and co-produced album Extremely CoolChuck E. Weiss 2000"Helium Reprise" HeliumTin Hat Trio 2000"I'll Tell Why That Is" Beatin' the HeatDan Hicks2001"Buzz Fledderjohn" and "Fannin'", and produced albumWicked GrinJohn P. Hammond 2001"Dog Door" It's a Wonderful LifeSparklehorse 2001"Mahfouz" WitnessDave Douglas 2002"What's He Building in There"" Hullabaloo SoundtrackMuse 2002"Diamond in Your Mind" Don't Give Up On MeSolomon Burke 2003"Go Tell It on the Mountain" Go Tell It on the MountainThe Blind Boys of Alabama 2004"Kitate" The RideLos Lobos 2005"Going Fetal"" Blinking Lights and Other RevelationsEels 2006"Morning Hollow" Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a MountainSparklehorse 2007"Pray" TraineaterThe Book of Knots 2008"Waitress" When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit GoldAtmosphere 2009"Spacious Thoughts" The Spirit of ApolloN.A.S.A. 2010"Tootie Ma Was a Big Fine Thing" and "Corrine Died on The Battlefield" Preservation: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall & The Preservation Hall Music Outreach ProgramPreservation Hall Jazz Band 2011"Ghost to a Ghost" and "Fadin' Moon" Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter TownHank Williams III 2018"Bella Ciao" Songs Of Resistance 1942 - 2018Marc Ribot2026"Boots on the Ground"Massive Attack
Other 1987 Smack My Crack: "The Pontiac", spoken-word piece 1993 Born to Choose: "Filipino Box Spring Hog", earlier release of Mule Variations song 2007 People Take Warning! Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs 1913–1938, by various artists: Waits wrote the introduction for this 3 CD reissue anthology produced by Christopher King and Henry "Hank" Sapoznik 2011 Hard Ground by Michael O'Brien: contributed poems to accompany photographs of homeless people in Austin, Texas taken by Michael O'Brien
Music videos Year Title Director 1979 "The One That Got Away" John Lamb 1983 "In the Neighborhood" Haskell Wexler 1985 "Downtown Train" Jean-Baptiste Mondino 1987 "Blow Wind Blow" Chris BlumJacobs, p. 152 "Temptation" Betzy Bromberg 1990 "It's All Right with Me" Jim Jarmusch 1992 "Goin' Out West" Jesse Dylan "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" Jim Jarmusch 1999 "Hold On" Matt Mahurin "Come On Up to the House" Anders Lövgren "What's He Building?" 2002 "God's Away on Business" Jesse Dylan 2004 "Top of the Hill" Chris Blum 2006 "Lie to Me" Danny Clinch 2011 "Satisfied" Jesse Dylan 2012 "Hell Broke Luce" Matt Mahurin
Video albums