Having played guitar and sung in doo-wop groups in high school, Reed studied poetry at Syracuse University under Delmore Schwartz, and had served as a radio DJ, hosting a late-night avant garde music program while at college. After graduating from Syracuse, he went to work for Pickwick Records in New York City, a low-budget record company that specialized in sound-alike recordings, as a songwriter and session musician. A fellow session player at Pickwick was John Cale; together with Sterling Morrison and Angus MacLise, they would form the Velvet Underground in 1965. After building a reputation on the avant garde music scene, they gained the attention of Andy Warhol, who became the band's manager; they in turn became something of a fixture at The Factory, Warhol's art studio, and served as his "house band" for various projects. The band released their first album, now with drummer Moe Tucker and featuring German singer Nico, in 1967, and parted ways with Warhol shortly thereafter. Following several lineup changes and three more little-heard albums, Reed quit the band in 1970.
After leaving the band, Reed would go on to a much more commercially successful solo career, releasing twenty solo studio albums. His second, Transformer (1972), was produced by David Bowie and arranged by Mick Ronson, and brought him mainstream recognition. The album is considered an influential landmark of the glam rock genre, anchored by Reed's most successful single, "Walk on the Wild Side". After Transformer, the less commercial but critically acclaimed Berlin peaked at No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart. Rock 'n' Roll Animal (a live album released in 1974) sold strongly, and Sally Can't Dance (1974) peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200; but for a long period after, Reed's work did not translate into sales, leading him deeper into drug addiction and alcoholism. Reed cleaned up in the early 1980s, and gradually returned to prominence with The Blue Mask (1982) and New Sensations (1984), reaching a critical and commercial career peak with his 1989 album New York.
Reed participated in the re-formation of the Velvet Underground in the 1990s, and made several more albums, including a collaboration album with John Cale titled Songs for Drella which was a tribute to their former mentor Andy Warhol. Magic and Loss (1992) would become Reed's highest-charting album on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 6.
He contributed music to two theatrical interpretations of 19th century writers, one of which he developed into an album titled The Raven. He married his third wife Laurie Anderson in 2008, and recorded the collaboration album Lulu with Metallica. He died in 2013 of liver disease. Reed has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; as a member of the Velvet Underground in 1996 and as a solo act in 2015.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Reed
Studio albums
Lou Reed (1972)
Transformer (1972)
Berlin (1973)
Rock 'n' Roll Animal (1974)
Sally Can't Dance (1974)
Metal Machine Music (1975)
Coney Island Baby (1975)
Rock and Roll Heart (1976)
Street Hassle (1978)
The Bells (1979)
Growing Up in Public (1980)
The Blue Mask (1982)
Legendary Hearts (1983)
New Sensations (1984)
Mistrial (1986)
New York (1989)
Magic and Loss (1992)
Set the Twilight Reeling (1996)
Ecstasy (2000)
The Raven (2003)
Hudson River Wind Meditations (2007)
ECSTASY
Lou Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing ever sticks to you
Not Velcro, not Scotch tape
Not my arms dipped in glue
Not if I wrap myself in nylon
A piece of duct tape down my back
Love pierced the arrow with the twelve
Ah, ecstasy
Ecstasy
Ah, ecstasy
Across the streets an old ford, they took off it's wheels
The engine is gone
In it's seat sits a box
With a note that says, goodbye charlie, thanks a lot
I see a child through a window with a bib
And I think of us and what we almost did
The Hudson rocketing with light
The ships pass the statue of liberty at night
They call it ecstasy, ah
Ecstasy
Ecstasy, ah
Ecstasy
Some men call me st. ivory
Some call me St. Maurice
I'm smooth as alabaster
With white veins runnin' through my cheeks
A big stud through my eyebrow
A scar on my arm that says, domain
I put it over the tattoo
That contained your name
They called you ecstasy, ecstasy
Ecstasy
They call you ecstasy, ecstasy
Ecstasy
The moon passing through a cloud
A body facing up is floating towards a crowd
And I think of a time and what I couldn't do
I couldn't hold you close, I couldn't, I couldn't become you
They call you ecstasy, I can't hold you down
I can't hold you up
I feel like that car that I saw today, no radio
No engine, no hood
I'm going to the cafe, I hope they've got music
And I hope that they can play
But if we have to part
I'll have a new scar right over my heart
I'll call it ecstasy
Oh, ecstasy, ecstasy
Ecstasy
Ecstasy, ecstasy
Ecstasy
Lou Reed's song "Ecstasy" is a mournful meditation on love and loss. The song describes the singer's failed attempts to capture and hold onto his lover, whom he calls "ecstasy." Nothing seems to keep her near - not even Velcro, Scotch tape, or his own arms dipped in glue. The chorus repeats the word "ecstasy," seemingly longing to grasp something that is just out of reach. The song describes a dark world where old cars are stripped for parts and anonymous notes are left on seats, a place where the singer remembers what might have been and sees what he can no longer have. He is marked by a scar that says, "domain," as if he were once someone else's possession. In the end, he resigns himself to his fate, hoping to find a place where he can be surrounded by music, but knowing that even if he finds it, his own heart will bear the mark of his loss.
Line by Line Meaning
They call you ecstasy
The subject of the song is a person referred to as Ecstasy.
Nothing ever sticks to you
The subject is not tethered to anything and is impervious to everything.
Not Velcro, not Scotch tape
Even the sticky things in life can't keep the subject connected.
Not my arms dipped in glue
Even if the singer tries to hold on with all his might, the subject cannot tolerate it.
Not if I wrap myself in nylon
No obstacle that the singer creates is too great for the subject to overcome.
A piece of duct tape down my back
Even in the presence of an impediment as severe as duct tape, the subject is unaffected.
Love pierced the arrow with the twelve
The singer seems to be referencing a combination of Cupid's bow and twelve apostles, implying that the subject is divine.
And I can't get you back
Once the subject has left the singer's life, there is no bringing them back.
Across the streets an old ford, they took off it's wheels
The singer sees a dilapidated car that's been stripped of its parts.
The engine is gone
The most critical element of the car has been removed.
In it's seat sits a box
The only remaining item in the vehicle is a box.
With a note that says, goodbye charlie, thanks a lot
A single piece of farewell text is attached to the box.
I see a child through a window with a bib
The songwriter looks upon a baby which reminds him of his past.
And I think of us and what we almost did
The memory of something that nearly happened has washed over the singer.
The Hudson rocketing with light
The Hudson River is particularly bright and busy.
The ships pass the statue of liberty at night
The statue of liberty is visible as ships pass by, and it is nighttime.
Some men call me st. ivory
People call the singer an honored religious figure and personalize him with the attribute 'St.'
Some call me St. Maurice
Others link the singer to religious figures, calling him by the name of St. Maurice.
I'm smooth as alabaster
The singer tells that he's smooth and flawless, like alabaster.
With white veins runnin' through my cheeks
The veins on his face are visible and highlighted by a contrast with light skin.
A big stud through my eyebrow
The singer describes sporting an eyebrow piercing.
A scar on my arm that says, domain
The subject's arm carries a scar, the word 'domain.'
I put it over the tattoo
The singer covered a tattoo he had with the scar.
That contained your name
The tattoo's original inscription was the beloved's name.
The moon passing through a cloud
The moon location is subject to change, and a cloud obstructs its view.
A body facing up is floating towards a crowd
The people are facing a corpse that is floating on the surface.
And I think of a time and what I couldn't do
The writer remembers a period when he was unable to do something.
I couldn't hold you close, I couldn't, I couldn't become you
The subject wanted to be nearer to the singer, however, he failed to become the subject.
I can't hold you down
The subject cannot be grounded or stopped in any way.
I can't hold you up
The subject cannot be elevated or saved either.
I feel like that car that I saw today, no radio
The singer has no comfort, just like the stripped car that lost its radio.
No engine, no hood
The car is stripped of all of its vital components.
I'm going to the cafe, I hope they've got music
The writer wants to move on and find a place to enjoy himself/ find joy.
And I hope that they can play
The singer wishes that there's music in the cafe.
But if we have to part
If the subject must depart from the singer.
I'll have a new scar right over my heart
The writer is ready to exhibit his love for the subject.
I'll call it ecstasy
The painful penance is renamed after the subject of the song.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOU REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind