Rock-tober 27, 2014

Back when I was at Auburn, I was working out in the gym one day with a buddy of mine. The radio was tuned to a classic rock station, and "Walk on the Wildside" was playing. When the song got to the infamous chorus, "And the colored girls go....," my friend started prancing across my field of vision lip syncing the lyrics. It had the intended effect, and I lost it. Luckily I managed to drop the weights straight down on the rack rather than my neck.

Today marks the one year anniversary of Lou Reed's death in Southhampton, New York at the age of 71. His career in music and film spanned nearly 40 years and saw the release of 26 albums as both a solo artist and as a member of Velvet Underground. While not commercially viable, Velvet Underground has been lauded by critics and artists as one of the most influential bands in history. A common quote regarding Velvet was, "They may have only sold 30,000 records, but everyone who bought one of those records started a band."

As a solo artist, Lou Reed was best known for "Walk On the Wildside", released in 1972. For the uninformed, the song was about several transvestite acquaintances of Reed who were making their way to New York seeking fortune if not fame. When the song was released in the UK, it was unfettered by the normally very conservative BBC censorship board. Frankly, all the innuendo woven into the song went over their heads, and they allowed unrestricted airplay.

Even for the US release, the main modifications were to the chorus. The original, "And all the colored girls go...," was changed to "And the girls all say..." That fact alone interestingly illuminates what American mores and sensibilities were during that period.

The song and subject matter were way ahead of their time. It still surfaces in pop culture references and continues to be covered and sampled by artists ranging from Marky Mark to U2.