Expanding beyond the Folk and Pop stylings of his first album, Waits' second studio release The Heart of Saturday Night established his reputation as a versatile and distinctly American songwriter. It's bluesy jazz arrangements featured bass, drums, sax and Waits on piano. The title track, a melancholy ode to Saturday night rituals, and the tenderly romantic hymn-like "San Diego Serenade" are enduring classics covered by an array of artists from Diana Krall and Nancy Griffith to folk hero Eric Anderson.
The album also features "Diamonds On My Windshield", the first of what would become a signature for Waits', the spoken word-poetry song. Waits' delivers these lyrics as pure beat jazz in the stylings of Kerouac, Langston Hughes and Bob Kaufman.
