Scarlett Johansson: on putting on her porkpie hat and tackling Tom Waits

Interview, June-July, 2008 by Stephen Mooallem

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When the news broke that Scarlett Johansson had recorded an album of Tom Waits songs, questions abounded--most commonly, "Why?." But here it is, Anywhere I Lay My Head (ATCO/ Rhino), an atmospheric, almost art-rocky record of Waits tunes remade, rearranged, and reimagined with the help of Dave Sitek of the New York City indie-rock outfit TV on the Radio. Another popular query went thusly: "Scarlett Johansson's speaking voice is deep and sort of sexy. What does her singing voice sound like?" To which we can reply: It sounds just fine, sort of appealingly androgynous in a glam-rock kind of a way. Oh, and David Bowie sings with her on two songs. Here, the actress explains it all.

STEPHEN MOOALLEM: First of all, can you walk me through how you wound up singing what is essentially a whole album of Tom Waits songs?

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: Well, I had originally recorded a song, a version of "Summertime" [by George Gershwin], for a benefit album. The album was distributed by Rhino, and the people at the label felt really pleased with the song, so they said, "Have you ever thought about recording a whole album?" I've just had so many friends who would kill for that opportunity that I almost couldn't pass it up. I have always loved to sing. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be in musicals and all that kind of stuff. So it seemed like a really exciting adventure. At first, I thought I would just do an album of standards. But then I couldn't figure out which standards to do. I did know, though, that I wanted to record this Tom Waits song called "I Never Talk to Strangers," which is a duet that he does with Bette Midler. But I think it was kind of confusing for some people, because they couldn't understand how a Tom Waits song could fit in with a Cole Porter song and stuff, and it turned into, Why don't we just incorporate more Tom Waits songs into this? So I just decided to do an entire album of Tom Waits songs.

SM: And unlike a lot of other actors who've made albums, you didn't just sort of enlist the pop hit-maker of the moment--there's no Lil' Wayne here.

SJ: [laughs] Well, I was never looking to make a pop album. It's not to say that there's not a place for pop--it's just not my cup of tea. When I first started working on the album, I got some great jazz musicians together and we recorded a bunch of rough tracks, but it all sounded awful. I realized that trying to recreate Tom Waits's sound with my voice ... it just sounded really camp. I knew what kind of sound I wanted in my head, but I realized that I needed someone to help me get there. I was looking at certain producers who would be into the idea, and someone said, "Have you ever met Dave Sitek from TV on the Radio?" I have always been a huge fan of that band. I love that kind of massive sound that they have--so I was really curious to meet Dave. Then once we spoke, it was very obvious to both of us that we shared the same ideas.

SM: Waits's songs are obviously very narrative-driven--they tell little stories and create little character sketches. How did you approach interpreting the songs the way you have here? Was it different for you from interpreting a character based on something you read in a script?

SJ: I think that a lot of the singers and artists that I love are very theatrical in a way, even if it's somebody like Freddie Mercury or Marianne Faithfull, so it's a very similar process. I mean, you spend enough time with the lyrics and they begin to take form in relation to your own life.

SM: It's actually sort of funny to hear you sing about "the whiskers" on your "chin" on "I Wish I Was in New Orleans."

SJ: [laughs] Obviously, with a woman singing those lines, there's a certain irony. That song is written from such a masculine point of view that some of the lyrics took on completely different meanings. I felt very attached to that song from the beginning. It was very emotional for me to record it.

SM: Why did you feel so attached to that song in particular?

SJ: I think just because I've always felt such an attachment to New Orleans. I've worked there before and spent time there--l shot a film there called A Love Song for Bobby Long [2004] which is kind of a valentine to that city and the lifestyle that Tom Waits is sort of singing about in that song. I think that with the devastation had happened there ... even though it's still such a mess and such a disaster, people have stayed there and stood by it, which I think is a testament to human endurance in a way. So I felt like sort of making that song almost like a lullaby, keeping it really intimate and kind of spare.

SM: How did you first get into Tom Waits?

SJ: I first got into Tom Waits when I was, like, 11 or 12. A friend of mine, her dad listened to Tom Waits all the time, so I was introduced to his music pretty young. Then I had a boyfriend in high school who was a huge Tom Waits fan. I guess Tom Waits was always a part of my adolescence. It's funny how the songs mean something different to me now than they did when I first heard them. I remember listening to the songs when I was a kid and laughing. Some of them are almost silly in a way, like "I Don't Wanna Grow Up." When you're 12, that means something completely different to you than when you actually recognize that there's a grown man singing that song. Just listening to certain songs, like "I'll Shoot the Moon"--they're very opusy and attractive for a kid in the same way that Alice in Wonderland [1951] would be or something.