# PLP in Rickie Lee Jone's Chuck E.'s in Love **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2001, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102 "2001-02-19T19:15:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/1 "2001-02-19T19:15:08Z")
I’ve been curious about this since I first heard the song. What the hell does “p.l.p” mean in the opening of Chuck E.'s in Love? As in: “How come he don’t come p.l.p. with me / Down at the meter no more?” I know I’m not mishearing it, because that’s what it is in the published lyrics. And when Chuck E. used to p.l.p with RLJ, why did they need a meter? The mind boggles. I’ve already rejected “proteolipid protein” and “People’s Liberation Party” because neither can be verbs. Thanks. D18 ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/2 "2001-02-19T19:20:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by D18 \* > \*\*“How come he don’t come p.l.p. with me / Down at the meter no more?” \*\* I don’t know what PLP is, but I think the next line is “down at the Lido no more.” The Lido being a theater or dance hall or something like that. Lotta help I am. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/3 "2001-02-19T19:26:10Z")
Nope. I was wrong. I just looked at the lyrics, and it does say “meter.” Doesn’t make sense, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/4 "2001-02-19T19:36:06Z")
[the lyrics](http://lenny.dyadel.net/rickie.htm#a) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/5 "2001-02-19T19:37:34Z")
When I was a teen, “PLP” was a rather silly little trick you’d play on someone. e.g., “What to play PLP?” “What’s PLP” “Public Leaning Post” and they’d try to lean against you. I’d guess Rickey was refering to something like that. The “meter” is probably a parking meter and the context would indicate they’d spend time leaning against the parking meter and watching people go by. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/6 "2001-02-19T19:50:47Z")
Thanks, RealityChuck! Makes perfect sense to me. D18 ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/7 "2001-02-19T19:54:00Z")
To back up RealityChuck, I remember at the time the song came out it was said that PLP=Public Leaning Post. ---
**Author:** ![hminkema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b77776/32.png) [@hminkema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hminkema)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/8 "2010-09-27T08:36:37Z")
This interpretation is correct. In the 1980 videoclip of Rickie’s live performance of this song, we see her quasi-leaning on a public post, watching the people go by, when she sings this very line. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/9 "2010-09-27T11:28:09Z")
Thank you **hminkema**. I am sure everyone has been on tenterhooks for the past NINE AND A HALF YEARS awaiting your confirmation of the data. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/10 "2010-09-27T12:03:14Z")
Unrelated to the OP’s question but fun _Perspicuity_ cartoon [http://content.perspicuity.com/?q=node/186](http://content.perspicuity.com/?q=node/186) On re-reading Craig Swanson’s text, it actually has a tongue-in-cheek “explanation” that relates to the OP’s question. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/11 "2010-09-27T13:08:47Z")
[Previous thread on the topic](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=488255) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/12 "2010-09-27T15:04:40Z")
Since this is about a song, let’s try Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/13 "2010-09-28T03:03:11Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > [Previous thread on the topic](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=488255) Whoa now! My question dates from 2001. Markxxs’s pale imitation followed mine by several years. So watch who you’re calling previous! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![hrtchkr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9e8a1a/32.png) [@hrtchkr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hrtchkr)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2014, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/14 "2014-03-09T06:25:15Z")
“Play 'little pool.” ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2014, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/15 "2014-03-09T06:30:37Z")
Wow! Double zombied! ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/16 "2014-03-09T22:42:31Z")
Aw Christ, the zombie’s combed his hair. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plp-in-rickie-lee-jones-chuck-e-s-in-love/55102/17 "2014-03-10T17:39:08Z")
😃