![]() ![]() But to simply write off this masterpiece’s lyrics as merely about the use of heroin would miss so much. ![]() Many listeners, including myself, have been fooled into believing Lou Reed was addicted to heroin at the time that he wrote this because of the nature of the song’s lyrics. As if Lou hasn’t already shown his lyrical prowess for writing about drugs, he certainly does it on this song. It is a work of pure genius and has been cited as one of the best songs of all time. Side B begins with “Heroin”, one of the most lyrically and sonically jarring songs on the whole album, if not throughout discography. The narrator of this track is both “feeling good, feeling oh so fine” and “sick and dirty, more dead than alive.” Lou’s ability to acknowledge the good and the bad of his drug use makes him ahead of the time lyrically, reminiscent of the recent trend in hip hop to take a more critical approach to drug use. He describes the wonderful highs and dreadful lows. ![]() Lou is very open about his drugs, though. Revolutionary for the time, the explicit depiction of drug use was controversial because of its graphic nature. This is the first of many times throughout The Velvet Underground’s discography that drugs are the subject matter. He provides a graphic and detailed narrative about purchasing heroin. But it’s not just the sonics that feel grimy Lou’s lyrics do, too. The guitars and drums are muddy, and this track is a lot fuzzier than the prior track. The piano sounds rough-you can almost imagine the player (John Cale)’s fingers tripping over themselves. (“Heroin” is a prime example of this, which will be discussed more in-depth later.) In fact, this contrast is one of the album’s defining qualities that makes it so unique and significant. Contrast like this can be seen all over this album, sometimes even within the same song. This track is grimy and dirty, juxtaposing the tender beauty of “Sunday Morning”. It’s a gorgeous blend of green and orange psychedelic animations that capture the beauty of this song perfectly.Īs the layers of “Sunday Morning” gradually fade into nothing, the listener is given a mere second before the pianos and drums kick off in “I’m Waiting For The Man”. I am not usually a fan of music videos, but this video matches this song perfectly. “Sunday Morning” was the last song recorded for the album it was added late as a last-ditch attempt to make the album more marketable, by providing it with a “hit.” In celebration of the 50th anniversary of this album’s release in 2017, the song received a music video. After a couple of verses, there is an excellent guitar solo, and upon the return of Lou’s vocals, layers of backing vocals from Nico and viola from John Cale make the song even more beautiful than it already was.Īlthough the lyrics are apparently about anxiety and paranoia, the warmth of the instrumental feels like a hug from a friend, and the impact of the lyrics is lost, which in this case, isn’t really a bad thing. Lou Reed sings in his signature breathy, near-talking style. The opener, “Sunday Morning”, begins with a celesta melody that, in the over-50 years since it’s release, has rarely been matched. Right from the first second of this album, it’s clear it’s something special. Produced is used here more in a movie sense than an album sense the band described him as a director of sorts. The cover art of this record is at least as iconic as the record itself. Yet, is this record really any of those genres? Not really, but given that it is one of my favorite albums of all time, as well as one of the building blocks of punk, it is a fitting installment for the first issue of this column. It contributed to punk, post-punk and art rock, but its influence can also be felt in ambient, garage, goth, noise, shoegaze and twee pop music. Lou Reed’s singing style is very laid back, Nico’s accent is extremely thick, and many songs from the album incorporate more noise than was common at the time, often via John Cale’s avant-garde style of playing the viola.ĭespite its poor initial reception, The Velvet Underground & Nicois now known as one of the most influential albums of all time, with its influence reaching nearly every genre that followed. Over 50 years since its release, The Velvet Underground’s debut record remains unique but was received very poorly at first, due to its dark subject matter, such as drugs and bondage, as well as the experimental nature of the music. Highlights: “Heroin”, “Sunday Morning”, “I’ll Be Your Mirror” ![]()
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