Everything about Heroin Song totally explained
"
Heroin" is a song by
The Velvet Underground, released on their
1967 debut album,
The Velvet Underground and Nico. Written by
Lou Reed in
1964, the song is one of the band's most celebrated compositions, overtly depicting
heroin use and abuse. 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".
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. In 2007
Mental Floss magazine listed it as one of ten songs that changed the world.
Recording
"Heroin" was among a three-song set to be re-recorded at T.T.G. Studios,
Hollywood before being included on the final release of
The Velvet Underground and Nico (along with "
I'm Waiting for the Man" and "
Venus in Furs"). This recording of the song would be the album's second longest at 7 minutes and 12 seconds, being eclipsed only by "
European Son" by about thirty seconds.
"Heroin" begins slowly with
Lou Reed's quiet, melodic guitar and hypnotic drum patterns by
Maureen Tucker, soon joined by
John Cale's droning
electric viola and
Sterling Morrison's steady rhythm guitar. The
tempo increases gradually, mimicking the high the narrator receives from the drug, until a frantic
crescendo is reached, punctuated by Cale's shrieking viola and the more punctuated guitar strumming of Reed and Morrison. Tucker's drumming becomes hurried and louder. The song then slows to the original tempo, and repeats the same pattern before ending.
The song is based on a D flat and a G flat
major chords. Like "
Sister Ray", it features no
bass guitar. Rolling Stone magazine said "It doesn't take much to make a great song," since the song only featured three chords.
Alternate versions
Ludlow Street Loft, July 1965
The earliest recorded version of "Heroin" was with
Lou Reed,
Sterling Morrison and
John Cale at the band's
Ludlow Street loft in July 1965. Unlike songs such as "
I'm Waiting for the Man" and "
Venus in Furs" which sound drastically different from their corresponding 1966 recordings on
The Velvet Underground and Nico, the '65 version of "Heroin" is nearly identical to the album version in structure. On the recording, Reed performs the song on an
acoustic guitar. This version of the song can be found on the
1995 compilation album,
Peel Slowly and See.
Scepter Studios, April 1966
The original take of "Heroin" that was intended for release on
The Velvet Underground and Nico was at
Scepter Studios in
New York City, April 1966. This version of the song features slightly different lyrics and a more contained, less chaotic performance. Overall, the tempo of the song is at a steadier, quicker pace. It is about a minute shorter in length.
One notable difference in the lyrics is Lou Reed's opening — he sings "I know just where I'm going" rather than "I
don't know just where I'm going" as on the final album recording. Reed was known to do this during subsequent performances of the song as well.
The Velvet Underground and drugs
"Heroin", (along with songs like "
I'm Waiting for the Man" which dealt with similar subject matter), was chiefly one of the reasons The Velvet Underground were tied to drug use in the media. Some critics declared the band were glorifying the use of drugs such as heroin. However, members of the band (Lou Reed, in particular) frequently denied any claims that the song was advocating use of the drug; in fact, it was quite the opposite. Lou Reed's lyrics, such as they're on the majority of
The Velvet Underground and Nico, were more meant to focus on providing an objective description of the topic without taking a moral stance in the matter. Critics weren't the only ones who misunderstood the song's impartial message; fans would sometimes approach the band members after a live performance and tell them they "shot up to 'Heroin'", a phenomenon that deeply disturbed Reed. As a result, Reed was somewhat hesitant to play the song with the band through much of the band's later career.
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 Mazzy Star, Human Drama, Iggy Pop, Echo & the Bunnymen, Billy Idol and Third Eye Blind
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.
Brian Bell and Patrick Wilson from Weezer covered the song.
The song is featured in the Oliver Stone movie The Doors
According to Mick Jagger, Stray Cat Blues from Beggars Banquet by The Rolling Stones is inspired by "Heroin".Further Information
Get more info on 'Heroin Song'.
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