Heroin (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Heroin" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Song by The Velvet Underground | ||
| from the album The Velvet Underground and Nico | ||
| Released | March 1967 | |
| Recorded | May 1966 T.T.G. Studios, Hollywood, California | |
| Genre | Avant-garde rock and roll | |
| Length | 7:12 | |
| Label | Verve Records | |
| Writer(s) | Lou Reed | |
| Composer(s) | Lou Reed | |
| Producer(s) | Andy Warhol | |
| The Velvet Underground and Nico track listing | ||
"Heroin" is a song by The Velvet Underground, released on their 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground and Nico. Written by Lou Reed, it is 7 minutes 12 seconds long.
The song is one of the band's most celebrated compositions, depicting heroin use and abuse, as with "I'm Waiting for the Man". At the time, Reed was a heavy heroin user; he would later give up the drug and compose "Perfect Day". Critic Mark Deming writes, "While 'Heroin' hardly endorses drug use, it doesn't clearly condemn it, either, which made it all the more troubling in the eyes of many listeners"[1].
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #448 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2006, Pitchfork Media ranked it #77 on their list of the 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s.
[edit] Performance
"Heroin" features John Cale's droning viola, and hypnotic drum patterns by Moe Tucker. The song begins slowly, and is based on only the D and G major chords. The tempo gradually increases, mimicking the high the narrator receives from the drug, until a frantic crescendo is reached, punctuated by Cale's shrieking viola. The song then slows to the original tempo, and repeats the same pattern before ending. Like "Sister Ray", the song features no bass guitar.
[edit] Demo version
"Heroin" is one of three songs on The Velvet Underground and Nico that was re-recorded in Hollywood, California after originally being recorded at Sceptor Studios in New York City. The original Sceptor Studios demo version features slightly different lyrics and a more contained, less chaotic performance. It is also about a minute shorter in length.
[edit] Trivia
- Lou Reed later performed "Heroin" live in his glam rock style, featuring the guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner. The resulting eleven minute track is included on his live album Rock 'n' Roll Animal, released in 1974.
- The song has been covered by several artists, including Echo & the Bunnymen and Billy Idol.
- In an interview on the Jonathan Richman DVD Take Me To The Plaza, he recounts trading a record by The Fugs for The Velvet Underground and Nico after hearing this song for the first time.
- The short story collection Jesus' Son, and the film based on it took its title from the lyrics of this song.
