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.
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.