"Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" has been described as a "laconic first-person sketch".[1] The song's lyrics narrate a letter written by a prostitute to a man named Charlie. She reveals that she is pregnant, says she has quit alcohol and drugs, describes her current living circumstances (including her stable relationship with a new husband who promises to raise her arriving baby like he would his own son), and outlines the better choices she would make if she "still had all the money we used to spend on dope". At the song's conclusion, the author confesses to Charlie that she has been lying to him; she does not have a husband, is currently serving time in prison, and will be eligible for parole on Valentine's Day.
For a performance in New York on November 21, 1985, Waits introduced the song with the following anecdote:
I was in Minneapolis – it was 200 degrees below zero – I know, you think I'm bullshitting, no, I swear to God, I was wearing just a bra and a slip and a kind of dead squirrel around my neck – he was colder than I was. The police cars would go by and they'd wave... merry Xmas, merry Xmas, merry Xmas... anyway, I got caught in the middle of a pimp war between two kids in Chinchilla coats, they couldn't have been more than 13 years old. They're throwing knives and forks and spoons out into the street – it was deep – so I grabbed a ladle, and Dinah Washington was singing "Our Day Will Come" and I knew that was it.[2]
Reception
Denise Sullivan, writing for AllMusic, described "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" as "[o]ne of Tom Waits' most beloved songs from one of his more obscure albums... The song showcases Waits playing a barroom piano melody, weaving words together -- in essence, doing what he does best in one long, bittersweet song."[3]
^ abBlue Valentine track listing – Tom Waits Official Website – accessed May 31, 2010
^ abc – Tom Waits Library – accessed October 7, 2016
^ abSullivan, Denise. "Tom Waits: Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis". AllMusic. from the original on 2021-12-10. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
January 31, 2023
christmas, card, from, hooker, minneapolis, song, written, performed, waits, released, 1978, album, blue, valentine, song, waitsfrom, album, blue, valentinereleasedseptember, 1978recordedjuly, august, 1978studiofilmways, heider, recordinghollywood, californiag. Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis is a song written and performed by Tom Waits released on his 1978 album Blue Valentine 1 Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis Song by Tom Waitsfrom the album Blue ValentineReleasedSeptember 1978RecordedJuly 24 August 26 1978StudioFilmways Heider RecordingHollywood CaliforniaGenreJazz bluesLength4 33LabelAsylumSongwriter s Tom WaitsProducer s Bones Howe Contents 1 Lyrics 2 Personnel 3 Live performances 4 Reception 5 Cover versions 6 ReferencesLyrics Edit Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis has been described as a laconic first person sketch 1 The song s lyrics narrate a letter written by a prostitute to a man named Charlie She reveals that she is pregnant says she has quit alcohol and drugs describes her current living circumstances including her stable relationship with a new husband who promises to raise her arriving baby like he would his own son and outlines the better choices she would make if she still had all the money we used to spend on dope At the song s conclusion the author confesses to Charlie that she has been lying to him she does not have a husband is currently serving time in prison and will be eligible for parole on Valentine s Day Personnel EditTom Waits lead vocal acoustic piano Da Willie Gonga George Duke electric grand pianoLive performances EditIn the late 1970s Waits often performed Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis as a medley with Goin Out Of My Head originally recorded by Little Anthony amp the Imperials and Silent Night the popular Christmas carol 2 For a performance in New York on November 21 1985 Waits introduced the song with the following anecdote I was in Minneapolis it was 200 degrees below zero I know you think I m bullshitting no I swear to God I was wearing just a bra and a slip and a kind of dead squirrel around my neck he was colder than I was The police cars would go by and they d wave merry Xmas merry Xmas merry Xmas anyway I got caught in the middle of a pimp war between two kids in Chinchilla coats they couldn t have been more than 13 years old They re throwing knives and forks and spoons out into the street it was deep so I grabbed a ladle and Dinah Washington was singing Our Day Will Come and I knew that was it 2 Reception EditDenise Sullivan writing for AllMusic described Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis as o ne of Tom Waits most beloved songs from one of his more obscure albums The song showcases Waits playing a barroom piano melody weaving words together in essence doing what he does best in one long bittersweet song 3 Cover versions Edit Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis has been covered by a number of notable bands and artists including Interzone in 1981 Magnapop in 1995 for Step Right Up The Songs of Tom Waits Kacey Jones in 2000 Wolfgang Ambros in 2000 David Broza in 2001 and Aslan in 2005 2 Neko Case s cover version featured on the Tom Waits tribute album New Coat of Paint 2002 received critical praise Denise Sullivan writing for AllMusic wrote that her fragile but tough delivery accompanied by church organ gave the song a whole new kitschy hooker with a heart of gold dimension 3 References Edit a b Blue Valentine track listing Tom Waits Official Website accessed May 31 2010 a b c Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis lyrics Tom Waits Library accessed October 7 2016 a b Sullivan Denise Tom Waits Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis AllMusic Archived from the original on 2021 12 10 Retrieved 2021 12 10 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis amp oldid 1088371238, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
