Down In the Bowery

Album: Street Songs of Love (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds a father trying to help his son as he struggles to find life's meaning. Escovedo explained to Express Night Out that he penned this for his own discontent son: "'Down in the Bowery' is a song I wrote for my son who is 18 and an angry young man, very quiet, very much into his music, [with] very strong opinions about his music as to why he likes it. He's always been that way since he was a little boy. I love my son very much. [He's a] graffiti artist, a drummer and singer in a punk rock band. I'm very proud of him. The song kind of encourages him to be who he wants to be, and that I will always have his back as a result of my love for him."
  • Ian Hunter contributes full-throated vocals to this song. Escovedo explained that he owes a lot to the former Mott the Hoople singer. "No one ever told me those things when I was a kid growing up, except for Ian Hunter in his songs. His songs were really my only kind of parental advice, in a way. So to have him sing on it is really beautiful. I'm kind of passing this knowledge on to my son within the song. It's almost generational in a way."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.