She made her recording debut with jazz bassist Alphonso Johnson on his 1976 album Yesterday's Dreams. She is best known for her long association with Prince but has also collaborated with many other musicians. She had played with George Duke, Lionel Richie, Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, and Diana Ross by the time she was in her early twenties. In recent years, she has collaborated with George Clinton, Ringo Starr, and Gloria Estefan.
Sheila E. is of Mexican, African American, and Creole descent. She is the daughter of percussionist Pete Escovedo, with whom she frequently performs. Her uncle is Alejandro Escovedo, also a musician. She is also niece to Javier Escovedo, founder of seminal San Diego punk act, The Zeros. Another uncle, Mario Escovedo, fronted long-running indie rockers, The Dragons. Notably, Nicole Richie is Sheila E.'s biological niece.
Prince met Sheila E. while she was performing at a concert with her father in the early 1980s. After the show, Prince met her and told her that he and his bassist "were just fighting about which one of us would be the first to be your husband" and prophetically vowed that one day she would join his band.
The two would eventually join forces during the recording sessions for Purple Rain. She provided vocals for Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" B-side single "Erotic City" between 1983 and 1984. Though taken under Prince's wing, she proved to be a successful artist in her own right. In 1984, she scored several hits including "The Glamorous Life" (#7 on the Hot 100 #7,), and "The Belle Of St. Mark" (#34). She opened for the Purple Rain tour and there was a segment where she would have a man called up on stage and seated in a chair while she sang and teased him, similarly mirrored by Janet Jackson for her Velvet Rope Tour.
Around the same time, the collaborating duo began a brief romantic relationship while Prince was still seeing Susannah Melvoin, twin sister of the Revolution band member Wendy Melvoin.
In 1985, she released Romance 1600 which scored her another hit with "A Love Bizarre" (#11). Sheila E. was nominated for American Music Awards and Grammys, including Best New Artist, for The Glamorous Life. Sheila E. recorded three total albums during the '80s, The Glamorous Life, Romance 1600, and Sheila E.
She appeared in four films, Krush Groove with Run-DMC, LL Cool J and Blair Underwood in 1985, Prince's concert film Sign 'O' the Times in 1987, and The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and Chasing Papi in 2003.
Later on, she served as Prince's drummer and musical director in his highly regarded backup band, dubbed the New Power Generation. During this same period, Sheila E. released "Koo Koo" from her third album, Sheila, with the accompanying video featuring Cat, a Sign 'O' the Times member, as a back up dancer. Sheila E. also served as a writer and musician on many of Prince's records, as well as on the albums of his protégés such as Madhouse.
After leaving Prince's musical organization in 1989 due to a collapsed lung, Sheila recorded a few more albums, Sex Cymbal, Writes of Passage, and Heaven. However, the albums garnered little attention. Later in 2002, Sheila E. appeared on Beyoncé's song "Work it Out".
Sheila E. was the leader of the house band on the short-lived 1998 late night talk show, The Magic Hour, starring Magic Johnson. She has performed three stints with Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band, in 2001, 2003, and 2006. Her drum "duets" with Starr are a moment of comic relief in the show, where they play the same parts but he quickly falls behind, shrugs and smiles as she takes off on an extended percussion solo. Says Sheila E.: "Ringo truly is one of the greatest rock 'n' roll drummers in the history of music. He enjoys the joke!"
In March 2007, she went on a small tour through Europe with her new band project called C.O.E.D. (Chronicles of Every Diva). C.O.E.D consists of Sheila E., Kat Dyson, Rhonda Smith and Cassandra O'Neal. For several concerts, C.O.E.D. was joined by Candy Dulfer as a special guest.
On April 9th, 2008, Sheila appeared on the historic Emmy winning program, Idol Gives Back. It was the most important and significant part of the highly rated American Idol television series. Sheila E. took part in the show opener, "Get on Your Feet", with Gloria Estefan. Dance troupe So You Think You Can Dance finalists joined the stage for the memorable moment. Idol Gives Back raised awareness and funds to benefit six total charities. International celebrities and sport figures graced the stage along with Sheila E. and Estefan for the historic television program event.
Sheila E. is also the business partner of singer and former The Brides of Funkenstein, Lynn Mabry. They jointly formed a foundation for abused children called the Elevate Hope Foundation.
Hold me
Sheila E. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yet, it doesn't ever last 4 long
I see your picture then I hear your voice
Our love must be stronger than before
Every time I see your eyes (Touch me)
Touch me (Hold me)
Every time I hear your voice (Touch me)
Here I stand defenseless as I look into your eyes
There's nothing left 2 say or do
you fill my head with promises and all your pretty lies
Would it be so wrong 2 want you by my side?
Every time I see your eyes (Touch me)
Touch me (Hold me)
Every time I hear your voice (Touch me)
Touch me (Hold me)
I'm captured by my senses, lost in your reverie
Our love must be stronger than before
Every time I see your eyes (Touch me)
Oh, hold me, babe (Hold me)
Every time I hear your voice (Touch me)
Touch me (Hold me)
Every time I see your eyes (Touch me)
I want to hold you, baby (Hold me)
(Hold me, touch me, kiss me all over)
Every time I hear your voice (Touch me)
Hold me, kiss me all over (Hold me)
Every time I see your eyes (Touch me)
Kiss me, baby (Hold me)
In Sheila E.'s song "Hold Me", she sings about her struggle to forget a past love. She expresses that she has tried many times to erase the memory of her former lover, but is unsuccessful in doing so. The memories come flooding back every time she sees a picture or hears his voice. Despite her attempts to move on, she finds herself caught up in her emotions when she is face to face with him. Sheila E. reveals that she is defenseless and that she wants to be with him, despite his promises and lies. She is captured by her senses and under his spell. Throughout the song, she repeats the phrase "Every time I see your eyes, touch me. Every time I hear your voice, hold me" to convey her longing for her former lover and her desire for physical affection.
The lyrics of "Hold Me" convey a universal experience of heartbreak and the struggle to move on from a past lover. The repetition of the phrase "Every time I see your eyes, touch me. Every time I hear your voice, hold me" emphasizes the physical and emotional longing that Sheila E. feels. The use of the word "captured" underscores the feeling of being trapped in one's emotions, which many can relate to. The line "Would it be so wrong to want you by my side?" conveys the internal struggle she faces in making the decision to get back together with her former lover.
Overall, "Hold Me" is a powerful depiction of heartbreak and the difficulties of moving on from a past relationship. The lyrics highlight the physical and emotional longing felt after a breakup and the struggle to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
I've tried so many times 2 erase your memory from my mind
Despite multiple attempts, I cannot forget about you.
Yet, it doesn't ever last 4 long
However, the memory erasure never lasts for a significant amount of time.
I see your picture then I hear your voice
Whenever I encounter any trace of you, whether it be a photo or a sound byte, I am reminded of you.
Our love must be stronger than before
Despite everything, our love seems to persist strongly.
Here I stand defenseless as I look into your eyes
I feel vulnerable and powerless when I gaze into your eyes.
There's nothing left 2 say or do
I feel completely at a loss when it comes to us.
you fill my head with promises and all your pretty lies
Your words are so convincing, but I know deep down that they aren't genuine.
Would it be so wrong 2 want you by my side?
Is it too much to ask for you to be by my side?
I'm captured by my senses, lost in your reverie
My senses are overwhelmed by thoughts of you, and I am lost in my daydreams about you.
Every time I see your eyes (Touch me)
When I look into your eyes, I am filled with a desire to be touched by you.
Touch me (Hold me)
I want to be held by you in that moment.
Every time I hear your voice (Touch me)
Whenever I hear your voice, I crave intimacy with you.
Oh, hold me, babe (Hold me)
Please hold me tightly in your arms, my love.
I want to hold you, baby (Hold me)
The overwhelming desire to touch and hold you is consuming me.
(Hold me, touch me, kiss me all over)
I yearn for your touch, and crave to be kissed all over by you.
Hold me, kiss me all over (Hold me)
Please hold me and kiss me passionately all over my body.
Kiss me, baby (Hold me)
My desire for your physical affection knows no bounds; I need you to kiss me.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Missing Link Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KING, THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind