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)
Kicks
Lou Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How you get your kicks for living
Hey man, what's your style
How you get your adrenaline flowing now
How you get your adrenaline flowing
Hey man, what's your style
I love the way, try to call now
I ain't jealous of the way you're living
I ain't jealous of the way you're living
When you cut that dude with just a little mania
You did it so .. ah
When the blood comma' down his neck
Don't you know it was better than sex, now, now, now
It was way better than getting mean
'Cause it was the final thing to do, now
Get somebody to come on to you
And then you just get somebody to ..
To now, now, come on to you
And then you kill them
You kill them, now, now, cause I need kicks ...
I'm getting bored, I n-n-n-need now, now some kicks
Oh, give it, give it, give it to me now, kicks
You know, I love the way you drive your car now
Hey man, what's your style
I ain't jealous of the way you're living
Ain't jealous of the way you're living
When your slayed that cat that night
You did it so crudely, now
With that blood coming down his chest
It was way better than sex, now, now
It was way better than getting mean
It was the final thing to do
Get somebody to came, come on to you, then
Get somebody to come on to you
Better kill them now
Better kill him now, now
Yeah, kill him now, now
Kill him now, now
'Cause I need kicks
Yeah, n-n-n-n-n-n-n-need some kicks
N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-need some kicks
Oh come on, give me kicks
Kicks, kicks ...
Lou Reed's song Kicks is a twisted exploration of a person's obsession with living on the edge and seeking out experiences that offer an adrenaline rush. The song appears to be referring to a person who is addicted to getting kicks, living life dangerously and recklessly, and is looking for ways to keep the thrill of the experience going. The repetition of the "Hey man, what's your style" line at the beginning of each verse suggests an outsider's fascination with the subject of the song.
The lyrics become darker as the song progresses, with graphic language being used to describe violent acts. The lines "When you cut that dude with just a little mania / You did it so ...ah" highlight how the subject takes pleasure in causing harm to others, with killing someone being the ultimate thrill. The song's message seems to be that some people become addicted to living dangerously and inflicting harm on others.
The chorus, with its repeated call for kicks, suggests that the subject of the song is not satisfied with living a normal life and is always seeking the next thrill. Overall, Kicks is a disturbing and thought-provoking song that explores themes of violence, addiction, and desperation.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey man, what's your style
Asking how one gets their kicks in life
How you get your kicks for living
Asking how one finds excitement in life
Hey man, what's your style
Repeating the question of how one gets their kicks in life
How you get your adrenaline flowing now
Asking how one gets their sense of excitement and rush now
How you get your adrenaline flowing
Asking how one gets their sense of excitement and rush
Hey man, what's your style
Posing the question again of how one gets their kicks in life
I love the way, try to call now
Expressing admiration for how they live their life
I ain't jealous of the way you're living
Not envying the way they get their kicks in life
I ain't jealous of the way you're living
Repeating not envying the way they get their kicks in life
When you cut that dude with just a little mania
Referring to a violent act carried out with craziness
You did it so .. ah
Impressed with how they carried out the violent act
When the blood comma' down his neck
Describing the aftermath of a violent act
Don't you know it was better than sex, now, now, now
Claiming that a violent act was more thrilling than sex
It was way better than getting mean
Hinting at the singer's violent tendencies and preference for that kind of thrill
'Cause it was the final thing to do, now
Justifying the violence as a necessary action
Get somebody to come on to you
Suggesting a way to get a victim for a violent act
And then you just get somebody to ..
Continuing to suggest a method for finding a victim
To now, now, come on to you
Repeating the suggestion of finding a victim
And then you kill them
Finalizing the suggested plan to commit violence
You kill them, now, now, cause I need kicks ...
Justifying and emphasizing the need for violent thrills
I'm getting bored, I n-n-n-need now, now some kicks
Expressing boredom and desperation for new thrills
Oh, give it, give it, give it to me now, kicks
Asking for thrills and violent excitement immediately
You know, I love the way you drive your car now
Expressing admiration for something not directly related to violence
Hey man, what's your style
Repeating the initial question to tie it back to the theme of the song
I ain't jealous of the way you're living
Reiterating that the singer is not envious of the other person's way of getting their kicks
Ain't jealous of the way you're living
Repeating that the singer is not envious of the other person's way of getting their kicks
When your slayed that cat that night
Referring to another violent act performed by the other person
You did it so crudely, now
Impressed by the other person's ability to perform a violent act brutally
With that blood coming down his chest
Describing the aftermath of the violent act
It was way better than sex, now, now
Reiterating that the violent act was more thrilling than sex
It was way better than getting mean
Repeating the singer's preference for violent thrills
It was the final thing to do
Justifying the violent act as necessary
Get somebody to came, come on to you, then
Repeating the suggestion for finding a victim
Better kill them now
Stressing the importance of committing the violent act
Better kill him now, now
Emphasizing the need to commit the violent act
Yeah, kill him now, now
Urging the other person to commit violence
Kill him now, now
Repeating the previous line to further urge violence
'Cause I need kicks
Justifying or emphasizing the need for violent thrills
Yeah, n-n-n-n-n-n-n-need some kicks
Reiterating the previous need for thrills
N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-need some kicks
Further emphasizing the need for thrills
Oh come on, give me kicks
Urging or demanding someone to provide the desired thrills
Kicks, kicks ...
Repeating the title of the song to emphasize its theme
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