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.
Slow Down
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's something I want to show you
Close your eyes and you can hear
The music in the wind
Out on the pier
That's the Ike & Tina Soul Revue
I don't know what this means to you
But it was everything to me
I was free as the sun
Shining on our faces
Free as the light that comes down
From some other places
Slow down, slow down
It's moving much too fast
I can't live in this moment
When I'm tangled in the past
Won't you take my coat
Baby, won't you wear it
There's so much I, want to share with you
Every little thing I am
Put your arms around my body
Feel your skin against my skin
This is where my life begins
Begins again with you
The past is gone
But it still live inside of me
Hold on tight
As we slip into this revelry
Slow down, slow down
It's moving much too fast
I can't live in this moment
When I'm stumbling through the past
Slow down, slow down
Yeah it's too fast
The love in this moment
Got to let go of the past
Slow down
It's too fast
Live in this moment
But I'm tangled in the past
The song "Slow Down" by Alejandro Escovedo invites the listeners to slow down and live in the moment, instead of getting tangled in the past. The singer uses vivid imagery to transport the listeners to a peaceful, nostalgic place, where music and memories hold great significance. The first verse talks about the Ike & Tina Soul Revue, and although the singer doesn't know what it means to the listener, it was evidently everything to him. This could be interpreted in two ways- either the singer has fond memories associated with the music, or the lyrics could be hinting at the fact that everyone has something that they hold dear, and that something is unique to each individual.
The next verse talks about freedom- the sun shining on our faces, the light coming down from some other place. This freedom is not the kind that comes from surrendering to impulse, but rather a spiritually free existence, one that comes from letting go of the past and living in the moment. The lyrics suggest that this freedom is only achieved when we have found someone to share it with- "Every little thing I am" wants to be shared with the person that the singer is speaking to. In the final verse, the singer acknowledges that the past is gone, but it still lives inside of him. He implores his partner to hold on tight as they slip into the revelry, urging them to live in the moment with him.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me take your hand
Come with me, I have something to show you
There's something I want to show you
I have something special to share with you
Close your eyes and you can hear
Listen and feel the music around you
The music in the wind
The sound of nature's music
Out on the pier
By the seaside
That's the Ike & Tina Soul Revue
That's the music that matters to me
I don't know what this means to you
I don't know if you'll appreciate it like I do
But it was everything to me
This music was my world and it still is
I was free as the sun
I felt completely liberated
Shining on our faces
In the light of the day
Free as the light that comes down
Open as the beams of light from above
From some other places
From a divine source
Slow down, slow down
Take it easy
It's moving much too fast
Life is passing too quickly
I can't live in this moment
I don't want to live in regret of the past or fear of the future
When I'm tangled in the past
When memories and experiences of the past overwhelm me
Won't you take my coat
Let me take care of you
Baby, won't you wear it
I want to share this warmth with you
There's so much I want to share with you
There's so much I want to experience with you
Every little thing I am
Every part of me
Put your arms around my body
Hold me tight
Feel your skin against my skin
Let's be close to each other
This is where my life begins
This is where I belong
Begins again with you
It's a new beginning for us
The past is gone
The past is over and done with
But it still live inside of me
But I still carry it with me into the present
Hold on tight
Don't let go
As we slip into this revelry
As we relax and let loose
Yeah it's too fast
This life is rushing by
The love in this moment
The love that we share now
Got to let go of the past
We must move on from our past experiences
Slow down
Take a moment to appreciate the present
It's too fast
Life can be over in an instant
Live in this moment
Enjoy the present for all it has to offer
But I'm tangled in the past
But my memories bring me back to the past
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: "ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, CHARLES PROPHET"
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind