43/13 - For Some Place You've Never Gone Before

Well, this turned out different. Suddenly the hero Lou Reed died and I felt I wanted to have at least two songs by him on the list. But after having spent the entire day trying to choose just two it was quite clear that if there was ever a call for a full tribute list, it was today. So let's have five instead.

Velvet Underground - Sunday Morning

To think that he actually died on a Sunday morning...

I started thinking back to my early teens. Getting the 'Peel Slowly And See' box set out of our local library for weeks on end, completely immersing myself, trying to explain to my classmates how beautiful ugly sounds can be, and how cool these guys were.
And then I thought of the many late teenage house parties. The ones where we'd sleep over together in a pile on some parent's bed. Wake up feeling rough but full of laughter, wade out through the empty vessels from the night before, and put this song on the first thing we did. The best hangover song in the world.

Lou Reed - Goodnight Ladies

Ah, the sleaze, the sneer, the slyness, and tucked in amongst it all; the pure sentiment. A formula he perfected.

Velvet Underground - I Found A Reason

I do believe
You are what you perceive
What comes is better than what came before

...I'm not so sure Lou. But it's a grand and necessary delusion if nothing else.

Lou Reed - Sad Song

Berlin, one of the bleakest, most affecting albums I know. The Bed is almost too much to listen to, esp. now, but then comes this, and what a perfect closer it is. Unbearable sadness made to sound like a triumph. An overcoming. A lifesaver.

Lou Reed - The Raven

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!

Thanks for the songs Lou. Thanks for making wonderful  life-changing music out of the ugly, odd and painful things in life.