Escovedo's family tree includes former Santana percussionist Pete Escovedo and Pete's daughter, Sheila E (also Prince's former drummer and later a pop star). He began his music career with the Nuns, a mid-'70s punk band based in San Francisco. He co-founded the pioneering cowpunk band Rank and File in 1979, which moved to Austin, Texas, in 1981 after a stint in New York City. The band released Sundown on Slash Records in 1982, but shortly after, Escovedo left to form the True Believers with brother Javier. The band recorded two albums for EMI and toured the country, often as an opening act for Los Lobos. However, EMI opted not to release the second album, which eventually led to the group's break-up. (It eventually surfaced as a bonus item when Rykodisc reissued the first set on CD in 1994.)
Escovedo released a solo album in 1992 on Watermelon Records, Gravity, uniting his wide variety of styles; the album was produced by Stephen Bruton of Bonnie Raitt's band. Escovedo also began gigging periodically with the band Buick MacKane, who fused old-school punk with 70's glam rock; after Rykodisc released Escovedo's With These Hands in 1996, they followed it up with Buick MacKane's long-awaited album. After Escovedo parted ways with Rykodisc, he signed with the Chicago-based alt-country label Bloodshot in 1998, who released the live album More Miles Than Money: Live 1994-1996 and the acclaimed studio set A Man Under The Influence.
In April of 2003, Escovedo collapsed following a show in Phoenix, AZ, and he was subsequently diagnosed with Hepatitis C. An outpouring of support from musicians led to a series of successful benefit concerts to help pay Escovedo's medical expenses and keep his music before the public, followed by a tribute album, Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo, which was released in 2004.
In June 2010, Escovedo released Street Songs of Love.
After The Meteor Showers
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take a photo please
Her skin was soft white luminescence
Like a candle in the wild wind
You can blame the stars
You can blame the wind
You can blame the meteor showers
Her mind was deep and sharp like poison
And like poison I drank it up
Her lips were red hot like fire
Like fire in a pewter cup
You can blame the stars
You can blame the wind
You can blame the meteor showers
Or the original sin
She was pretty as a starlet
Take a photo please
Her skin was hot white luminescence
Like a candle in the vicious wind
You can blame the stars
You can blame the wind
You can blame the meteor showers
Or the original sin
The lyrics of Alejandro Escovedo's song After The Meteor Showers convey a sense of fascination and danger with a mysterious woman. The opening lines describe her physical beauty, comparing her to a starlet and referencing the soft white luminescence of her skin. The imagery is both alluring and otherworldly, playing into the cosmic themes of the song's title. As the verse progresses, the singer takes on a more fatalistic tone, suggesting that the forces of nature and the past (represented by the various things that can be blamed) have led to the situation at hand.
The second verse continues to explore the woman's allure, this time drawing on the metaphor of poison. The singer acknowledges the danger in her intelligence and the way it draws them in. She is compared to fire in a pewter cup, implying that her beauty and energy are contained but still dangerous. The repetition of the blame motif reinforces the idea that these two individuals are caught up in something that is beyond their control.
The chorus serves as a refrain, returning to the same four lines with different images of the woman's beauty. The final line, "Like a candle in the vicious wind," hints at the potential for harm in their relationship. Overall, the lyrics of After The Meteor Showers create a picture of a dangerous yet alluring romance, with a sense of reckoning lurking in the background.
Line by Line Meaning
She was pretty as a starlet
The woman in question was exceptionally attractive, resembling the Hollywood starlets of old
Take a photo please
The singer is requesting someone to capture a moment of this woman's beauty, perhaps to commit it to memory or to share with others
Her skin was soft white luminescence
The woman's skin had a soft, glowing quality, reminiscent of candlelight
Like a candle in the wild wind
Despite her beauty, the woman appeared to the artist to be delicate and vulnerable, like a candle in a harsh and unpredictable environment
You can blame the stars
The artist is pointing out the futility of trying to find reasons or explanations for certain events or circumstances
You can blame the wind
Another example of the singer's belief that trying to assign blame for things beyond our control is ultimately pointless
You can blame the meteor showers
The singer is suggesting that even rare and impressive phenomena like meteor showers can't be held responsible for the course of human events
Or the original sin
The artist is making a biblical reference to suggest that the troubles facing humanity have been present since the beginning of time and have no simple explanation or solution
Her mind was deep and sharp like poison
The woman possessed a keen intellect and wit, but the artist suggests that these qualities were also dangerous or toxic in some way
And like poison I drank it up
The artist is acknowledging the allure of this woman's character, despite its potential danger or toxicity
Her lips were red hot like fire
The woman had strikingly red lips that the singer compares to flames, suggesting passion and intensity
Like fire in a pewter cup
The artist evokes an image of a fragile container, like a pewter cup, being consumed by the powerful heat of a fire, underscoring the idea that this woman's energy and passion were overwhelming and potentially destructive
Her skin was hot white luminescence
A repeated line, emphasizing the woman's striking appearance, but this time adding the word "hot" to suggest a heightened intensity, perhaps associated with sensuality or danger
Like a candle in the vicious wind
Another repeated line, changing only the word "wild" to "vicious," further emphasizing the fragility and vulnerability of the woman, especially in the face of unpredictable or turbulent events
You can blame the stars
A repeated line, suggesting that the singer believes strongly in the idea that some things are simply beyond human control and cannot be explained away by blaming external factors
You can blame the wind
Another instance of the artist emphasizing the importance of accepting the things that happen in life without trying to find someone or something to blame
You can blame the meteor showers
A repeated line, perhaps underscoring the idea that even the most impressive and awe-inspiring wonders of the natural world can't always compete with the harsh realities of human experience
Or the original sin
A repeated line, suggesting that the singer sees the fundamental problems of human existence as related to some kind of innate flaw or weakness that cannot be easily overcome
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind