"Chuck E.'s in Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. Over the course of a career that spans five decades and 15 studio albums, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, an ...

. Released in 1979 on her eponymous debut album ''

'', the song became her biggest hit, reaching number 4 on the ''Billboard'' U.S. Hot 100 chart. "Chuck E.'s in Love" is track 1 on Side One of the ''Rickie Lee Jones'' LP, on which it runs 3 minutes and 28 seconds. It is Side A on the single; the B-side is "On Saturday Afternoon in 1963".

Background and production

Jones and her lover and fellow songwriter

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

spent a lot of time hanging out with their friend Chuck E. Weiss at the seedy Tropicana Motel in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Eventually Weiss, affectionately referred to as "Chuck E.", disappeared. Later Weiss called the apartment where Jones and Waits lived. When Waits took the call, Weiss explained that he was in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, and that he had moved there because he had fallen in love with a cousin there. When Waits hung up he announced to Jones, "Chuck E.'s in love". Jones liked the sound of the sentence and wrote a song around it. The first line of the song is, "How come he don't come and P.L.P. with me down at the meter no more?" P.L.P. stands for "public leaning post" and is old American slang for one person, usually female, leaning up against another person, usually male, in a friendly fashion. Although toward the end of "Chuck E.'s in Love" the lyrics state, "Chuck E.'s in love with the little girl singing this song," the twist ending is fictional; Jones was never the girl with whom Chuck E. was in love.Gavin Edwards, ''Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton's Little John?: Music's Most Enduring Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed'' Three Rivers Press, 2006, pp. 138-139.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
{{authority control Songs about musicians 1979 songs 1979 debut singles Song recordings produced by Lenny Waronker Song recordings produced by Russ Titelman Warner Records singles Songs written by Rickie Lee Jones