After Hours (song)

"After Hours"
Song by The Velvet Underground from the album The Velvet Underground
Released March 1969
Recorded November-December 1968 Sunset and Highland Sound, Hollywood
Genre Art rock
Length 2:07
Label MGM Records
Writer Lou Reed
Composer Lou Reed
Producer The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground track listing
"The Murder Mystery"
(9)		 "After Hours"
(10)

"After Hours" is a 1969 song written by Lou Reed[1] and originally performed by The Velvet Underground. It is the tenth and final track on their self-titled album. It is one of few songs with lead vocals by drummer Maureen Tucker, as Lou Reed stated the song was "so innocent and pure" that he could not possibly sing it himself. Tucker's vocals are accompanied by acoustic and bass guitar. The style of the lyrics and the music is somewhat reminiscent of Tin Pan Alley songs of the 1930s.

The song was re-recorded by Maureen Tucker with instrumentation by The Changelings in 2002. It was released on the single "I'm Sticking with You / After Hours".

Contents

Lyrical content

The lyrics for the song were later rewritten in 2006 for the Michel Gondry film The Science of Sleep under the title "If You Rescue Me". In the film, the character Stéphane dreams he is performing the song dressed as a kitten. The film's soundtrack features two versions of the song, one titled "If You Rescue Me (A Capella)" performed by Linda Serbu and one titled "If You Rescue Me (Chanson des Chats)" performed by Gael García Bernal, Sacha Bourdo, Alain Chabat and Aurelia Petit.

Covers

R.E.M. performed the song whilst touring the album Green, one performance being recorded on the Tourfilm DVD. Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon sang it briefly at a concert. Meg White, of the White Stripes, covered the song on December 31, 2000 to conclude their New Year's Eve concert. Anthony Kiedis and John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers played the song in 1992 on a boat while being interviewed by the VPRO in Amsterdam, Holland. Rilo Kiley also recorded a version in 2002 for a split EP. James Iha performed the song with A Perfect Circle on January 31, 2004 on a tour in France after Maynard James Keenan challenged Americans in the audience to not use flash photography. Autolux drummer, Carla Azar performed the song as an encore while playing at the Henry Fonda Theatre.

Personnel (on original recording)

References

  1. ^ Martin Charles Strong, The Great Indie Discography (Canongate U.S., 2003), [1].
The Velvet Underground
Studio albums
Live albums
Box sets and out-takes
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