Peak
4
Weeks
15
Score
2,879
Chart Year
1979
///
The subject of this folksy love song is Chuck E. Weiss, who was good friends with Tom Waits. In 1977, Weiss was working as a dishwasher at the Troubadour in Los Angeles when Rickie Lee Jones performed there. She and Waits became an item, and the three of them spent a lot of time together, often drinking and taking drugs. One night, Waits got a call from Weiss, who explained that he was in Denver and had taken up with a girl (who happened to be his distant cousin). When he hung up the phone, Waits told Jones, "Chuck E.'s In Love," and she seized on the title. At the end of this song, Jones reveals that she's the one with whom Chuck E. is in love. This is artistic liberty, as she and Chuck were not an item. In the line, "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," a phrase meaning a friend you can count on. This was Jones' first single. She was signed to Warner Bros. Records by their A&R head, Lenny Waronker, and he decided the song was the best choice for her debut. Waronker was right; the song became a big hit and established Jones as an emerging artist (she won the Grammy for Best New Artist). The song ended up being by far her biggest hit, as Jones enjoyed a career with far more acclaim than commercial success. This song got a big boost when Jones performed it on Saturday Night Live on April 7, 1979. Report this ad Many listeners hear this as a happy song, but but Jones described it as "desperate." She told The Guardian: "I saved it at the end, but most of the song is a lament." In the 2015 Rickie Lee Jones documentary The Other Side of Desire, Chuck E. Weiss says, jokingly, "I think she loved me so much that she wrote a song about me." Jones made no attempt to write a similar song when it came time to record her next album, and remarkably, her record company didn't pressure her to do so. That album, Pirates, sold far fewer copies than her debut, but held up very well. "With such a huge hit, the only possibility of me having a lifelong career was to absolutely follow my muse," she said. (quote from More Songwriters on Songwriting) Chuck E. Weiss was also the subject of the Tom Waits song "Jitterbug Boy." Weiss has recorded a few solo albums, including The Other Side Of Town (1981) and Extremely Cool (1998).
How come he don't come and p.i.p. with me Down at the meter no more? And how come he turn off the T.V. And he hang that sign on the door? Well we call and we call "How come?" we say Hey what could make a boy behave this way? He learned all of the lines now And every time he don't a-stutter when he talks And it's true! It's true! He sure has acquired this kind of cool and inspired sorta jazz when he walk Where's his jacket and his old blue jeans? If this ain't healthy, it is some kinda clean? That means Chuck E.'s in love Chuck E.'s in love Chuck E.'s in love Chuck E.'s in I don't believe what you're saying to me This it something I got to see Is he here? I look in the poolhall Well is he here? I look in the drugstore Is he here? No, he don't come here no more I tell you what, I saw him He was sittin' behind us down at the Pantages And whatever is that he's got up his sleeve I hope it isn't contagious What's her name? Is that her there? Oh Christ, I think he's even combed his hair Is that her? What's her name? Oh, its never gonna be the same That's not her I know that's wrong 'Cause Chuck E.'s in love with the little girl singing this song Don't you know Chuck E.'s in love Chuck E.'s in love Chuck E.'s in, Chuck E.'s in love with me
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 28, 1979 | 65 | 61 |
| 2 | May 5, 1979 | 55 | 71 |
| 3 | May 12, 1979 | 35 | 91 |
| 4 | May 19, 1979 | 22 | 104 |
| 5 | May 26, 1979 | 17 | 109 |
| 6 | Jun 2, 1979 | 11 | 115 |
| 7 | Jun 9, 1979 | 8 | 118 |
| 8 | Jun 16, 1979 | 7 | 119 |
| 9 | Jun 23, 1979 | 7 | 119 |
| 10 | Jun 30, 1979 | 5 | 121 |
| 11 | Jul 7, 1979 | 4 | 122 |
| 12 | Jul 14, 1979 | 4 | 122 |
| 13 | Jul 21, 1979 | 12 | 114 |
| 14 | Jul 28, 1979 | 40 | 86 |
| 15 | Aug 4, 1979 | 76 | 50 |