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Find out the name, release date and recording details of all songs by The Velvet Underground, excluding those after Lou Reed's departure. Browse the alphabetical list of songs from "After Hours" to "What Goes On".
WatchMojo ranks the best songs by the influential rock band Velvet Underground, based on sonic abrasiveness, dark lyrical content and vigor. See the list, clips and comments on their website and interactive suggestion tool.
- 14 min
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- WatchMojo.com
Find the lyrics, songs, and albums of The Velvet Underground, an influential American rock band from 1964 to 1973. Learn about their history, members, style, and legacy on Genius.
- Coyote
- I’m Sticking with You
- Foggy Notion
- Here She Comes Now
- We’Re Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together
- Candy Says
- What Goes on
- Femme Fatale
- All Tomorrow’S Parties
- New Age
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In 1993 the original quartet staged a reunion tour that imploded before it ever got to the US, but their double-live album Live MCMXCIIIgave a fascinating glimpse of what might have been. There are two particular moments when the magic kicks in: “Hey Mr Rain,” an old outtake stretched to 16 minutes, and “Coyote,” the one new song of the reunion – a...
The only time Lou Reed would write something this simple and sweet was when he did something for Maureen Tucker to sing. One of only two leads she did with the group, “I’m Sticking With You” is a romantic duet that takes some surprise musical turns, but never loses its sweetness. Originally recorded but not used for Loaded (to give her a track on a...
With Doug Yule taking John Cale’s bass slot, The Velvet Underground spent most of 1969 working on an unfinished album that moved toward straight-ahead, melodic territory; they also moved part-time to Yule’s homebase in Boston. A swaggering garage rocker, “Foggy Notion” was a highlight of their live sets at the time, though it didn’t see release unt...
The outlier on the White Light/White Heatalbum, this is a brief, beautiful song with a mantra-like quality – the only notable Eastern influence among the many Velvet Underground songs. Reed broke another taboo by playing on the meanings of “come” in the lyric. No coincidence that The Cars, who covered this tune in their early days, would later have...
Also originating from the aborted 1969 sessions is this joyful rocker with its can’t-miss “na-na-na” chorus. It’s essentially one of their more good-natured Velvet Underground songs, though Reed darkened it considerably when he remade it on Street Hassle. “We’re Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together” was also a favorite concert-opener for Patti Smit...
Inspired by an encounter with the transsexual actress Candy Darling, this was Reed writing about gender dysphoria before there was a name for it. Doug Yule gets the opening vocal on his first album with the band, giving it an innocence (and a falsetto) that Reed might not have managed.
“What Goes On” is the closest thing to a straight-ahead pop song among all The Velvet Underground’s songs, featuring wall-to-wall hooks with the Yule-era band doing a friendlier version of the Cale-era line-up’s sound (with Tucker’s primal groove and the Vox Continental organ). Maybe not the deepest Velvets song, but arguably the single catchiest o...
Andy Warhol’s greatest contribution to The Velvet Underground may have been his suggestion that Reed write a song about Edie Sedgwick and call it “Femme Fatale.” Reed responded with a song that perfectly combined two of his obsessions: sexual jealousy and New York doo-wop. Nico sang it as if she knew nothing about the latter and everything about th...
Lou Reed was resistant to Andy Warhol’s efforts to install model/actress Nico as part-time lead singer for the band’s debut album. But it’s hard to imagine this song, effectively a dramatic monologue about the allure and emptiness of Warhol-era party culture, without her. It’s even more evocative than Reed’s later, more famous song about that demim...
The Loadedalbum was designed to be loaded with hits, but there was still room for one of Reed’s darker musings. Delivered almost as a doo-wop ballad, “New Age” tells of an encounter between a fading actress and a besotted fan; as usual, Reed makes the story more compelling by virtue of what he leaves out. “New Age” is the perfect vehicle for Doug Y...
A list of the most influential and transgressive songs by the legendary rock band, from their debut album to their live reunion. Discover how The Velvet Underground dared you to start thinking differently with their music, from "Sunday Morning" to "Coyote".
- Brett Milano
- 18 min
- I’m Waiting for the Man’ – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) From their debut album, this song personifies the ‘proto-punk’ leanings of early Velvet Underground.
- Pale Blue Eyes’ – The Velvet Underground (1969) A classic that, believe it or not, was written about someone with hazel eyes, as Reed claims in his book Between Thought and Expression.
- Heroin’ – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) ‘Heroin’ is another reason why The Velvet Underground are set apart from their contemporaries. This is no metaphor for LSD consumption wrapped up in a lullaby.
- Venus in Furs’ – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) This classic track is named after the book of the same name by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and typically includes dark sexual themes of sadomasochism, bondage and submission.
All your favorite Velvet Underground tracks are streaming now in this Best of The Velvet Underground playlist!
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Oct 27, 2013 · From: 'The Velvet Underground' (1969) Lou Reed more than earned his reputation as a caustic SOB (see just about every other cut on our list of the Top 10 Velvet Underground Songs), but on this ...
