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.
Dearhead On The Wall
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look until you're too simple
And the softness of knowing hurts
And the softness of knowing hurts
Dear head on the wall
Afraid to mention the deaths
That I can't stuff into my mouth
All the longing that is
A pity pretty pin
A pity pretty pin
And the sadness will come
When there is no one
Dear head on the wall
Forget what we already know
Hang a picture of your heart
Bandaged in surgeon's bowl
Opened up to it all
A pity pretty pin
A pity pretty pin
A pity pretty pin
A pity pretty pin
The song "Dearhead On The Wall" by Alejandro Escovedo is a song that speaks to the struggle of confronting painful truths. In the first verse, the "dearhead on the wall" is addressed as someone who has been staring for so long that they have become "too simple." This could be interpreted as the singer addressing themselves, as if they are looking into a mirror and realizing that they have become numb to the pain of the world around them. The second half of the verse speaks to the discomfort of truly knowing the truth, and how it can be painful to confront.
The second verse continues this theme, as the singer describes feeling unable to express the full extent of their grief to the "dearhead on the wall." The line "all the longing that is a pity pretty pin" suggests that the singer feels trapped by their own emotions, unable to fully articulate the depth of their sadness. The repetition of the line "a pity pretty pin" adds to the sense of unease and uncertainty present throughout the song. The final lines of the song offer a glimmer of hope, with the singer suggesting that true healing can come from opening oneself up to the pain of the world and allowing oneself to feel fully.
Overall, "Dearhead On The Wall" is a haunting meditation on the difficulty of facing difficult truths and emotions. The repeated imagery of the head on the wall serves as a reminder of the ways in which we can become disconnected from our own feelings and the world around us. However, the song also offers a sense of hope, suggesting that by truly embracing our pain and allowing ourselves to feel it fully, we may be able to find the healing we need.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear head on the wall
Addressing the mounted animal head as a symbolic figure representing internal turmoil and confusion
Look until you're too simple
Stare at the deer's head for hours to the point of becoming mentally exhausted but open to clarity
And the softness of knowing hurts
However, the realization of elusive or difficult truths brings a sense of emotional pain and vulnerability
Afraid to mention the deaths
Expressing reservations about speaking on mortality or other somber topics, out of fear of exposing inner turmoil or admitting emotional struggles
That I can't stuff into my mouth
Unable to fully articulate or express the deep pain and sadness being experienced
All the longing that is
A sense of intense yearning or desire that is left unfulfilled
A pity pretty pin
A bittersweet or tragic moment, encapsulated into a small, seemingly aesthetic or pretty fragment
And the sadness will come
The inevitable onset of grief or melancholy, even in the absence of others
When there is no one
During moments of solitude, when one is forced to confront their innermost fears and emotions alone
Forget what we already know
Encouragement to disregard preconceived notions and re-evaluate prior understandings with an open mind
Hang a picture of your heart
Utilize visual imagery to consider one's own emotional landscape or focus on personal growth and reflection
Bandaged in surgeon's bowl
Emphasizing the need to confront emotional pain head-on and discussing it in ways that are constructive or healing
Opened up to it all
Embrace the discomfort and vulnerability that comes with confronting emotional pain, rather than trying to suppress it or bottle it up
A pity pretty pin
Repeating the notion of fleeting, tragic beauty in simple moments of emotional clarity
A pity pretty pin
Repeating the notion of fleeting, tragic beauty in simple moments of emotional clarity
A pity pretty pin
Repeating the notion of fleeting, tragic beauty in simple moments of emotional clarity
A pity pretty pin
Repeating the notion of fleeting, tragic beauty in simple moments of emotional clarity
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind