Lou Reed, who’s soulful sound produced my personal favorite “Take A Walk On The Wild Side” passed away at 71. It came out in 1972, when I was 10 years old, and it seemed to me like it was played again and again on the radio, all the time.
If you’ve never heard “Take A Walk On The Wild Side” here it is, followed by the lyrics, which were really a kind of forecast into what has become normal to talk about in public today: sex change, oral sex, recreational drug use, valium, and hustling for money.
Beyond “Take A Walk On The Wild Side”, Lou Reed, with John Cale, started The Velvet Underground in 1964. While not a commercial success by the standard way we define such, The Velvet Underground was very influential in rock via its album The Velvet Underground & Nico. The album was the reported catalyst for the start of many other bands for those who purchased it. It would later be inducted into the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
It was after the disbanding of The Velvet Underground that Lou Reed would make his own album and release his only hit “Take A Walk On The Wild Side.”
Over the subsequent years, Lou Reed would perform with other legends, marry, divorce, and then marry again. But he never stopped performing, and after a liver transplant this year, said he was stronger than ever. He passed away today in Long Island, New York.
Stay tuned.
Zennie Abraham | Zennie Abraham or “Zennie62” is the founder of Zennie62Media which consists of zennie62blog.com and a multimedia blog news aggregator and video network, and 78-blog network, with social media and content development services and consulting. Zennie is a pioneer video blogger, YouTube Partner, social media practitioner, game developer, and pundit. Note: news aggregator content does not reflect the personal views of Mr. Abraham.