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.
Smoke
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Til the break of dawn
Gonna light you up
Gonna sing you song
C'mon, baby, baby
Make me feel so strong
I hear them going
The kids get started
Gonna do the dog
Dance with me baby
Dance with me on and on
Outside the disco
Yeah they wouldn't let me in
Here comes Lori
You know she could have been my twin
All dolled up
Just one place to go
Come on baby, come on
Let's do the stroll
Take my hand
I'll teach you how to roll
C'mon baby, love me baby on and on
Yeah baby going
Bop bop
Gonna wind you up
Take my hand
I'll teach you do the stroll
C'mon baby, love me baby on and on
You remember Dietrich
Oh how could I forgot
He did time in Chino
Ah but made it out I guess
Happier endings for you and me
C'mon
Hey
Ah
Goin' bop bop
Baby all night long
Gonna turn you up
Gonna turn you on
Kiss my one time, baby
Make me feel so strong
Sweet Tomita
Yeah she really got around
Lenny told me
She finally settled down
Up in Fairbanks Alaska
Raising kids
Yeah, she's alright
[Repeat: x3.5]
We're gonna smoke
Baby smoke
We're gonna smoke
Baby smoke
All night long
The lyrics to Alejandro Escovedo's song "Smoke" describe the atmosphere of a night out dancing, drinking, and smoking. The singer is enjoying the music and the company of his friends, including Lori who is "all dolled up" and reminds him of himself. He sees the kids "bop bopping" all night long and encourages his partner to dance with him. The song also mentions Dietrich, who did time in Chino but made it out, and Sweet Tomita, who settled down in Fairbanks, Alaska, after getting around.
The song captures the carefree and joyful attitude of a night out, with the focus on dancing and having fun. The use of smoke as a recurring theme throughout the lyrics adds to the overall atmosphere of the song and also hints at the potentially reckless and dangerous behavior that can come with a night out, as smoking cigarettes and drugs were often a part of nightlife culture. The reference to Lori, who could have been the singer's twin, suggests a sense of self-reflection and introspection, perhaps indicating that the singer also sees himself in her and is struggling with his own identity.
Overall, "Smoke" is a nostalgic and evocative depiction of a particular moment in time and a specific cultural milieu. The lyrics capture the energy and sense of excitement that comes with a night out, while also hinting at the darker and more destructive aspects of nightlife culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Well you smoke baby smoke
Til the break of dawn
Gonna light you up
Gonna sing you song
C'mon, baby, baby
Make me feel so strong
Let's smoke cigarettes all night until sunrise. I'll light yours up and sing us some songs. Let's do this, baby, make me feel good.
I hear them going
Bop bopping all night long
The kids get started
Gonna do the dog
Dance with me baby
Dance with me on and on
I hear the sounds of music and people dancing all night. The young ones are starting and doing the latest dance craze, but dance with me, baby, let's keep it going.
Outside the disco
Yeah they wouldn't let me in
Here comes Lori
You know she could have been my twin
All dolled up
Just one place to go
I got denied entry when I tried to get into the disco. Then, I bumped into Lori, who looks so much like me, and we're left with nowhere else to go.
Come on baby, come on
Let's do the stroll
Take my hand
I'll teach you how to roll
C'mon baby, love me baby on and on
Let's do the Stroll dance together, follow my lead, and I'll show you how to roll your hips to the music. Love me, baby, we can be together all night long.
Yeah baby going
Bop bop
Gonna wind you up
Take my hand
I'll teach you do the stroll
C'mon baby, love me baby on and on
Yeah, baby, you're getting into it. Let me lead you, and I'll get you hyped up for some more. Come on, love me, and let's continue dancing all night long.
You remember Dietrich
Oh how could I forgot
He did time in Chino
Ah but made it out I guess
Happier endings for you and me
C'mon
Hey
Ah
Do you remember Dietrich? Oh, how could I forget him? He even went to jail, but I suppose he's out now. But for you and me, we'll have happier endings. Come on, let's keep going.
Goin' bop bop
Baby all night long
Gonna turn you up
Gonna turn you on
Kiss my one time, baby
Make me feel so strong
We'll keep dancing to the beat all night long. I'll get you fired up, and kissing me once will make me feel so good.
Sweet Tomita
Yeah she really got around
Lenny told me
She finally settled down
Up in Fairbanks Alaska
Raising kids
Yeah, she's alright
Remember Sweet Tomita? She used to be so adventurous with her relationships. Lenny told me she finally found someone and settled down in Fairbanks, Alaska, and now she's raising kids. She's doing well.
We're gonna smoke
Baby smoke
We're gonna smoke
Baby smoke
All night long
We'll keep smoking all night long, baby.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, CHARLES PROPHET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind