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)
No Chance
Lou Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It must be nice never to move off the mark
It must be nice to be dependable and never let anyone down
It must be great to be all the things you're not
It must be great to be all the things that I'm not
I see you in the hospital; your humor is intact
I'm embarrassed by the strength I seem to lack
So strange that I'm not
I'd fold up in a minute and a half
And I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
It must be nice to be normal; it must be nice to be cold
It must be nice not to have to go, oh, up or down
But me, I'm all emotional no matter how I try
You're gone, and I'm still here alive
And I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
No, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
There are things we say we wish we knew, and in fact we never do
But I'd wish I'd known that you were going to die
Then I wouldn't feel so stupid; such a fool that I didn't call
And I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
No, there's no logic to this - who's picked to stay or go
If you think too hard, it only makes you mad
But your optimism made me think you really had it beat
So I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
Lou Reed's song "No Chance" is a poignant reflection on mortality, loss, and missed opportunities for closure. The lyrics capture the singer's envy of someone who is steadfast and predictable in their life, especially when faced with the chaotic and unpredictable reality of human experience. Alongside this, the singer also observes someone they care for in a hospital, and feels ashamed of their own vulnerability in contrast with their friend's courage and resilience. The sense of regret becomes particularly acute when the singer realizes that their friend is going to die, and they are suddenly overwhelmed by feelings of foolishness and missed chances. The closing lines of the song acknowledge the senselessness of trying to make sense of life and death, expressing appreciation for their friend's optimism in the face of adversity, but also acknowledging how little that optimism can do to ease the pain of loss.
The song stems from a place of personal grief for Lou Reed, who lost a number of friends and loved ones to AIDS and related illnesses during the 1980s and 1990s. The lyrics reflect the sense of helplessness and inadequacy that can come with watching someone suffer and die, and the sense of confusion and disbelief that can persist even after they are gone. From a musical standpoint, the song is notable for its spare, elegiac melody and its use of understated instrumentation, including acoustic guitars and subtle percussion. The result is a haunting and deeply moving tribute to the fragility and beauty of life.
Line by Line Meaning
It must be nice to be steady; it must be nice to be firm
It must be comforting to never waver or doubt yourself
It must be nice never to move off the mark
It must be pleasant to always know what you want and never deviate from it
It must be nice to be dependable and never let anyone down
It must feel good to always come through for people without fail
It must be great to be all the things you're not
It must be liberating to not be burdened by the traits and emotions that hold me back
It must be great to be all the things that I'm not
It must be wonderful to possess the qualities that I lack
I see you in the hospital; your humor is intact
I visited you in the hospital and was surprised that you were still able to laugh and joke despite everything
I'm embarrassed by the strength I seem to lack
Your resilience makes me feel ashamed of my own weakness
If I was in your shoes
If I had to go through what you're going through
So strange that I'm not
It's strange that I'm not the one who's sick and dying
I'd fold up in a minute and a half
I would crumble under the weight of what you're enduring in a very short amount of time
And I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
I regret not being able to say goodbye to you before you passed away
It must be nice to be normal; it must be nice to be cold
It must be convenient to not be burdened by the same intense emotions that I experience
It must be nice not to have to go, oh, up or down
It must be soothing to not have the emotional ups and downs that I go through
But me, I'm all emotional no matter how I try
I can't help but be emotional even though I try to put on a brave face
You're gone, and I'm still here alive
You passed away and I'm still here living, which makes me feel guilty
There are things we say we wish we knew, and in fact we never do
There are things we wish we could know, but the truth is we never really will
But I'd wish I'd known that you were going to die
I wish I had known in advance that you were going to pass away
Then I wouldn't feel so stupid; such a fool that I didn't call
If I had known, I wouldn't feel foolish for not calling or saying goodbye
And I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
I regret not being able to have a proper goodbye before you passed away
No, there's no logic to this - who's picked to stay or go
There's no rhyme or reason to who lives and who dies
If you think too hard, it only makes you mad
Overthinking this situation will only drive you crazy
But your optimism made me think you really had it beat
Your positive attitude made me believe that you were going to overcome your illness
So I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
I regret not being able to have a proper goodbye before you passed away
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOU REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind