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Alejandro Escovedo - Chelsea Hotel '78 Lyrics

Artist: Alejandro Escovedo

Album: Real Animal

Genre: Rock

I lived in the Chelsea once on 7th and 23rd
We came to live inside the myth of everything we heard;
The poets on their barstools, they just loved it when it rained,
They comb their hair in the mirror and grow addicted to the pain.

And it makes no sense
And it makes perfect sense;
And it makes no sense
And it makes perfect sense.

I saw Neon Leon, Spider and the boys
Just before the cops arrived and took off with the noise;
It was nothing special, just another bar,
The Max's Kansas City life makes everyone a star.

And it makes no sense
And it makes perfect sense;
And it makes no sense
And it makes perfect sense.

(Alejandro plays bad ass guitar solo here)

Nancy called us to her room, said "Come and help with Sid."
We went down and looked around, the dealer let us in;
We thought he was hysterical, but not that he was a joke;
Don't know if he did what he said he did, nobody really knows.

I stood out on the sidewalk when they busted through the door
And watched that Tito's jacket caught and had him by his arm,
You know the show of that thing nobody knows for sure
Because they found Nancy in her black underwear dead on the bathroom floor.

And it makes no sense
And it makes perfect sense;
And it makes no sense
And it makes perfect sense.

I lived in the Chelsea once on 7th and 23rd
We came to live inside the myth of everything we heard
The poets on their barstools, they just loved it when it rained
They comb their hair in the mirror and grow addicted to the pain.

And it makes no sense
And it makes perfect sense;
And it makes no sense
And it makes perfect sense.

So we all moved out
And we all moved on;
So we all moved out
And we all moved on
And on and on...


Add Song Meaning

  • Blue

    Alejandro was in one of the first wave punk bands, The Nuns, back in '77 in San Francisco. They happened to be staying at The Chelsea in New York in '78 during the period Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen were holed up there.

    I'm was an old school punker those days, so here's what I know/remember...

    Neon Leon was a real person, and the first interviewed by the cops when they arrested Sid.
    http://www.roctober.com/roctob...

    Neon Leon & Spider were members of the band Pure Hell who opened for Sid at Max's Kansas City during his post-Sex Pistols days.

    For those not in the know, The Chelsea is a historic hotel in New York known for being a cheap getaway for the bohemian crowd for decades. Notable residents have been James Joyce (? correction?), Henry Miller, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Dylan
    Thomas, et al. On Oct. '78, Nancy Spungen died or was killed/murdered by Sid. Nobody knows the real circumstances as sid OD'ed before the trial. Urban myths & rumors have flown ever since.
    http://www.trutv.com/library/c...

    Even though it's mostly a made up myth, watch Sid & Nancy by Alex Cox. A great movie that tries to explain how life got to that point.

    Alejandro wrote this here rockin' great song about the atmosphere of the strangeness of those days.

    Best song in YEARS! Thanks, A.E,!

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