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.
This Bed Is Getting Crowded
Alejandro Escovedo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One, two, three
This bed is getting crowded, baby
Who you want me to be?
I'll be your lover in the midnight
I'll be your lover in the dawn
I'll be your lover when the party's raging
Long after everybody's gone
This ain't love
This ain't love
This ain't love
This ain't love
Call it what you want
But it don't feel like love to me
This bed is getting crowded
Baby something feels wrong
Let's go somewhere quiet
Somewhere we can be alone
You got a statue in your front yard
And it bleeds on cue
All these arms and legs and limbs
Who do you want me to do?
This ain't love
This ain't love
This ain't love
This ain't love
Call it what you want
But it don't feel like love to me
This bed is getting crowded
I look up it's four a.m.
Am I here with you
Are you here with me?
Or are we both here with him?
I'll be your lover in the midnight
I'll be your lover in the dawn
I'll be your lover when the party's in full swing
Baby, I'll be your lover when everybody's gone
This ain't love
This ain't love
This ain't love
This ain't love
Call it what you want
But it don't feel like love to me
In the song "This Bed Is Getting Crowded," Alejandro Escovedo sings about a relationship that feels more like a physical arrangement than a romantic one. The repeated line "This ain't love" reinforces this sense of disillusionment, indicating that there is something missing or unsatisfying in the connection between the singer and their partner. The opening lines of the song set the scene for this dynamic, with the bed becoming crowded as the singer asks "who you want me to be?" This suggests a lack of authenticity or a sense of performing for the other person in order to maintain their interest.
The second verse introduces a strange element to the relationship: a bleeding statue in the partner's front yard. This surreal image suggests that there is something dark or twisted about the dynamics at play, and the repeated references to body parts ("arms and legs and limbs") reinforce this sense of being objectified or used. The final verse introduces a third person into the mix, leaving the singer unsure of who they are really sharing the bed with. The repeated assurances to be a lover at all hours and the focus on the physicality of the connection despite the lack of romantic passion reinforce the idea that this relationship is about satisfying base desires rather than genuine love.
Overall, "This Bed Is Getting Crowded" paints a bleak picture of a relationship that has devolved into a physical arrangement lacking any true emotional depth. The focus on performance and objectification, as well as the surreal and unsettling imagery, create a sense of discomfort and unease in the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
This bed is getting crowded
The relationship is becoming suffocating and cramped
One, two, three
Counting the number of people in bed, including the singer
Who you want me to be?
The singer feels like they are losing their identity and asking who the partner wants them to be
I'll be your lover in the midnight
The artist is willing to fulfill any role the partner desires, including a lover in the middle of the night
This ain't love
The relationship is not based on love
Call it what you want
The singer suggests that the relationship may have a different name or label
But it don't feel like love to me
Despite what the partner calls it, the singer does not feel like it is a genuine love connection
Baby something feels wrong
The artist senses that there is a problem in the relationship
Let's go somewhere quiet
The artist suggests a change of environment to try to fix the relationship
You got a statue in your front yard
The partner's possessions or surroundings are strange or unsettling to the artist
And it bleeds on cue
The partner's strange possessions have eerie or unsettling qualities
All these arms and legs and limbs
The crowded bed is described using body parts
Who do you want me to do?
The singer is unsure of what the partner wants from them
I look up it's four a.m.
The singer is unsure of the time and the state of their relationship
Am I here with you
The singer is questioning if they are truly in the moment with the partner
Are you here with me?
The artist is unsure if the partner is fully present in the relationship
Or are we both here with him?
The artist suggests that a third person may be present in the relationship
I'll be your lover when the party's in full swing
The singer is willing to participate in the party lifestyle with the partner and be their lover during those times
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, CHUCK PROPHET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind