Heroin (song)
| heroin | |
|---|---|
| The Velvet Underground | |
| publication | March 1967 |
| length | 7:12 |
| Genre (s) | Art rock , protopunk , noise rock |
| Author (s) | Lou Reed |
| Publisher (s) | Verve Records |
| album | The Velvet Underground & Nico |
Heroin is a song by The Velvet Underground that was released on the group's debut album, The Velvet Underground and Nico , in 1967. The song, written by Lou Reed in 1964 , is one of the most played songs in the group and openly describes the use and abuse of heroin . The critic Mar Deming wrote: Although heroin hardly advocates the use of the drug, it also does not clearly condemn it, and that makes it even more disturbing in the eyes of some listeners .
The Rolling Stone magazine chose the song at number 448 of the 500 greatest songs of all time . In 2006, Pitchfork Media voted the song 77th of the 200 best songs of the 60s. In 2007, Mental Floss magazine ranked the song as one of ten songs that changed the world .
admission
Heroin was recorded for the album together with I'm Waiting for the Man and Venus in Furs at TTG Studios in Hollywood . The song is the second longest track on the album at 7 minutes and 12 seconds. Heroin begins with the soft, melodic guitar playing by Lou Reed and hypnotic drums by Maureen Tucker , soon joined by John Cale's booming electric viola and Sterling Morrison's uniform rhythm guitar. The dynamics of the piece are gradually increased until a frenzied crescendo is reached, underlined by Cale's screeching viola. Tucker's drums get faster and louder. The song then slows down again and comes back to the initial speed and then ends again faster.
The song is based on the major chords C # and F # and is played without a bass. The Rolling Stone Magazine wrote that there is not much need to write a great song .
Maureen Tucker became disoriented during the recording and stopped playing for a few moments. The interruption gives the song a dramatic twist and its mistake has become an essential element of the song.
criticism
Songs like Heroin and I'm Waiting for the Man , which deal with a similar topic, kept the Velvet Underground mentioned in connection with drugs. Some critics accused the band of glorifying the use of drugs. In contrast, members of the band, most notably Lou Reed, have repeatedly denied that the song advocates the use of drugs.
Cover versions
The song has been covered by various artists including Mazzy Star , Human Drama, Iggy Pop , Echo & the Bunnymen , Roky Erickson , Billy Idol and Third Eye Blind . Lou Reed later played the song more often live and recorded it. a. on his live album Rock 'n' Roll Animal , which was released in 1974. Other cover versions are by Brian Bell and Patrick Wilson from Weezer .
Use in pop culture
Denis Johnson's collection of short stories Jesus' Son and the film based on it take the title from the lyrics. The song was also used in the film The Doors by Oliver Stone . According to Mick Jagger , the song Stray Cat Blues is inspired by heroin .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of ... - Google Book Search . books.google.de. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
- ↑ cf. The Velvet Underground Web Page , Live Performances & Rehearsals
- ^ "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".
- ↑ "Heroin" at Allmusic
- ↑ "It doesn't take much to make a great song"
- ^ Clinton Heylin (Ed.): All Yesterday's Parties: The Velvet Underground in Print 1966–1971 , first edition. Edition, De Capo Press, United States 2005, ISBN 0-306-81477-3 , pp / 138.
- ↑ Review of Rock n Roll Animal at allmusic. Retrieved February 10, 2013 .