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)
How Do You Think It Feels
Lou Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you're speeding and lonely
Come here baby
How do you think it feels
When all you can say is: If only
If only I had a little
If only I had some change
How do you think it feels
And when do you think it stops?
How do you think it feels
When you've been up for five days
Come down here Mamma
Hunting around always - ooh
'Cause you're afraid of sleeping
How do you think it feels
To feel like a wolf and foxy
How do you think it feels
To always make love by proxy?
How do you think it feels
And when do you think it stops?
When do you think it stops?
The lyrics to Lou Reed's song "How Do You Think It Feels" depict the painful experiences of a person caught in the depths of addiction. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the intensity of the physical and emotional stress that comes with such a lifestyle. The singer asks the listener to imagine what it feels like to be "speeding and lonely" or to be constantly searching for stimulation while also being afraid to sleep. The repetition of the phrase "if only" suggests that the person is trapped in a cycle of unfulfilled wishes and desires.
The second verse delves deeper into the psychological challenges of addiction, with the singer describing the feeling of being a "wolf and foxy" and of "always making love by proxy." These lines suggest that the person has lost touch with their sense of self and is living through a persona or a mask. The refrain "When do you think it stops?" suggests that the person is trapped in a cycle without any hope of escape.
Overall, the lyrics highlight the darker side of human experience and challenge us to empathize with those who are caught in the grips of addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
How do you think it feels
What is it like to experience
When you're speeding and lonely
When you're rushing through life but still feeling empty and alone
Come here baby
Seeking comfort and connection from someone else
When all you can say is: If only
When you're constantly wishing for something that you don't have
If only I had a little
If only I had just a bit more in life
If only I had some change
If only I had the ability to change my circumstances
If only, if only, only
Repeatedly wishing for something better
And when do you think it stops?
Wondering when the cycle of wanting more will end
When you've been up for five days
When you're sleep deprived and exhausted
Come down here Mamma
Looking for a place of rest and safety
Hunting around always - ooh
Constantly searching for something to fill the void
'Cause you're afraid of sleeping
Avoiding sleep because of fear or anxiety
To feel like a wolf and foxy
Feeling wild and seductive
To always make love by proxy
Experiencing intimacy through others or things instead of directly
And when do you think it stops?
Asking when this lifestyle or way of feeling will come to an end
When do you think it stops?
Repeating the question, reflecting a longing for change
Lyrics © SONY ATV MUSIC PUB LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Phoenix Rising
How do you think it feels
When you're speeding and lonely
Come here baby
How do you think it feels
When all you can say is: If only
If only I had a little
If only I had some change
If only, if only, only
How do you think it feels
And when do you think it stops?
How do you think it feels
When you've been up for five days
Come down here Mamma
Hunting around always - ooh
'Cause you're afraid of sleeping
How do you think it feels
To feel like a wolf and foxy
How do you think it feels
To always make love by proxy?
How do you think it feels
And when do you think it stops?
When do you think it stops?
Patrick Stocks
How do you think 💭 it feels
When you’re speeding and lonely 😔
Come here baby 👶
How do you think 💭 it feels
When all you can say is:If only
If only I had a little
If only I had some change
If only, if only, only
How do you think 💭 it feels
And when do you think 💭 it stops?
How do you think 💭 it feels
When you’ve been up for 5 days
Come down here Mamma
Hunting around always-ooh
‘Cause you’re afraid 😦 of sleeping 💤
How do you think 💭 it feels
To feel like a wolf 🐺 and foxy
How do you think 💭 it feels
To always make love 💖 by proxy?
How do you think 💭 it feels
And when do you think 💭 it stops?
When do you think 💭 it stops?
Chris Winsemius
This song still UPs and DOWNs my mind, body and spirit but I just love it...
Scott W. Allen
I was 14 and Berlin taught me that not all of life is pretty, and that that truth can be conveyed through music.
Geir Sakariassen
i have live like this, first time i get sick of LP berlin, but is the real ting, Hamburg, hei from Norway
Lotus Eater
@m s I learnt the lesson much earlier, maybe 7, through Pink Floyd.
m s
I learned that same lesson later in life but the message is still the same
Johnny Fowler
Remember the days when you actually had to get up and get the record and take it out of the sleeve and put it on the turntable and place the needle on the vinyl to hear music? This is an album I would play in it's entirety, with no fast forwarding or skipping songs. It wasn't something you would play while doing something else either. You listened to it and read the lyrics and looked at the pictures on the pages and felt the emotion in the songs. This was my favorite song on the Album. Drug use! How do you think it feels? When do you think it stops? I got the sense that Loud Reed knew how powerful addiction could be and how it could make you do things you would never do in your "normal" mind. I'm not saying he knew from experience, but he certainly understood. This album did something that very few albums did - told a story with purpose like Who's Tommy or (modern day) MAE's The Everglow.
John Kountouris
He must have been singing from having some expirience... this album is a masterpiece though very underrated... probably cause a lot of the people who dug it are dead now.
Sebastian Baca
Oh, he most certainly knew from experience! 👍
Jipwell
That guitar solo needs to be in a movie.
Nathan Maaka
Surely the greatest amphetamine song of all time with pounding guitar solo that has you racing with fabulous understated vocal contribution!