| Ol' '55 | |
| Cover: | Ol 55 single.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Tom Waits |
| Album: | Closing Time |
| Recorded: | Spring 1972 at Sunset Sound Recorders and United Western Recorders in Hollywood, California |
| Genre: | Folk |
| Label: | Asylum |
| Producer: | Jerry Yester |
| Next Title: | Blues Skies |
| Next Year: | 1974 |
"Ol' '55" is a song by American musician Tom Waits. It is the opening track and lead single from Waits' debut studio album, Closing Time, released in March 1973 on Asylum Records. Written by Waits and produced by Jerry Yester, "Ol' '55" was a minor hit. It has been described as more conventional than Waits' later songs.[1] The title, "Ol' '55", refers to the singer's vehicle, A 1955 Buick Roadmaster, "the first real luxury automobile I had ... about as slick as deer guts on a doorknob."[2]
The song has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by the Eagles for their 1974 album On The Border. In a 1975 interview, Waits was critical of the Eagles' cover version of his song, admitting that he was "not that particularly crazy about (their) rendition of it ... I thought their version was a little antiseptic."[3] About one year later, while interviewed for NME, he went as far as stating that "I don’t like the Eagles. They’re about as exciting as watching paint dry. Their albums are good for keeping the dust off your turntable and that’s about all.”[4]
The song was used for All Elite Wrestling's Brodie Lee tribute video during his Celebration of Life.[5] AEW President and CEO Tony Khan purchased the rights to the song in perpetuity, saying "so the tribute will last forever".[6]