Tom Waits has long attracted filmmakers because his unconventional voice, storytelling and cinematic songwriting suit unusual characters and morally complex narratives. He has acted in films, contributed scores and had his songs featured by directors including Alan Rudolph, who used Waits’s version of “Somewhere” in Afterglow.

In a 2000 interview, Waits praised West Side Story and its composers Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, calling its songs great and highlighting their melodies. The musical, first performed on Broadway in 1957, remains influential, while its 1961 film soundtrack spent 54 weeks at number one on the Billboard album chart; Waits recorded his own version of “Somewhere” in 1978.