Song · Tom Waits
“Big in Japan” by Tom Waits
From the album Mule Variations (1999)
“Big in Japan” by Tom Waits appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2023 and 2024. It was first released in 1999 on the album Mule Variations. Its best result is #593 on The Best Opening Tracks of All Time.
"Big in Japan" comes from Mule Variations, the April 1999 album on ANTI- that ended a six-year wait for a new Tom Waits studio record, his first since The Black Rider and his 13th in all. Waits wrote it with Kathleen Brennan, and the two produced it together. He sings and plays guitar, and the rest of the lineup is a colorful one: Les Claypool on bass, Larry LaLonde on guitar, Bryan "Brain" Mantia on drums and Ralph Carney doubling on saxophone and trumpet.
The album sent Waits out on his first proper tour since 1987, won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and in 2012 Rolling Stone ranked it among the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 722 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
| 2024 | 593 | KEXP | The Best Opening Tracks of All Time | 738 |
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