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)
The Bed
Lou Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When she went to bed at night
And this is the place our children were conceived
Candles lit the room at night
And this is the place where she cut her wrists
That odd and fateful night
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling
This is the place where we used to live
I paid for it with love and blood
And these are the boxes that she kept on the shelf
Filled with her poetry and stuff
And this is the room where she took the razor
And cut her wrists that strange and fateful night
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling
I never would have started if I'd known
That it'd end this way
But funny thing I'm not at all sad
That it stopped this way
Stopped this way
The lyrics to Lou Reed's "The Bed" paint a vivid picture of a couple's tumultuous relationship that is riddled with pain, tragedy, and heartbreak. The song's protagonist shares his memories of the bed where he and his lover used to sleep, where their children were conceived, and where tragedy struck when she cut her wrists.
The bed represents the physical space where their love blossomed and grew into something beautiful, where they created new life with the birth of their children. But the bed also represents the place where their love died, where tragedy struck with the self-inflicted injury of his lover. The candles lit in the room provide a haunting image of the darkness that surrounded this relationship.
The boxes on the shelf filled with her poetry and other belongings indicate that his lover was creative and had a deep passion for life. Yet, the razor that she used to cut her wrists represents the darkness that consumed her and ultimately led to her demise. The singer expresses a mixed sentiment of both heartbreak and numbness, saying that he is "not at all sad" that it ended this way.
Overall, "The Bed" is a deeply poignant and haunting portrayal of a complicated and tragic relationship that leaves its mark on the singer's life.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the place where she lay her head
The bed is the place where the woman slept every night
When she went to bed at night
The bed was where the woman slept at night after her daily routine
And this is the place our children were conceived
The bed is also where the couple made love and conceived their children
Candles lit the room at night
The room was dimly lit with candles when the couple went to sleep
And this is the place where she cut her wrists
The bed was also where the woman committed suicide by cutting her wrists
That odd and fateful night
The night she committed suicide was unexpected and tragic
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling
The singer feels deep sorrow and pain because of her tragic death
This is the place where we used to live
The bed was part of the couple's former home, where they used to live together
I paid for it with love and blood
The artist invested his emotions and energy into that house
And these are the boxes that she kept on the shelf
The woman kept her personal belongings, including her poetry, in boxes on a shelf
Filled with her poetry and stuff
The boxes contained the woman's personal belongings, including her poems and other things
And this is the room where she took the razor
The artist identifies the bed as the place where the woman committed suicide by cutting herself
And cut her wrists that strange and fateful night
Her death was sudden, unexpected and tragic
I never would have started if I'd known
The singer laments ever having started his relationship with the woman
That it'd end this way
The relationship ended tragically and abruptly with the woman's suicide
But funny thing I'm not at all sad
Despite the tragedy, the artist doesn't feel sadness over the woman's suicide
That it stopped this way
The artist seems to be at peace with the way the relationship ended, despite the tragic circumstances
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOU REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aguy7321
This is the place where she lay her head
When she went to bed at night
And this is the place our children were conceived
Candles lit the room at night
And this is the place where she cut her wrists
That odd and fateful night
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling
This is the place where we used to live
I paid for it with love and blood
And these are the boxes that she kept on the shelf
Filled with her poetry and stuff
And this is the room where she took the razor
And cut her wrists that strange and fateful night
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling
I never would have started if I'd known
That it'd end this way
But funny thing I'm not at all sad
That it stopped this way
Stopped this way
@j.c7719
Lou’s music is like a warm blanket on a winter’s night. He was such a genius songwriter. I love it 🖤
@opus65
a warm blanket on a winter's night.. exactly!
@pameiuioigoutu
I'll forever be mesmerized by the way Lou Reed turns ugliness and tragedy into beauty
@lucaslaino7292
One of the few it can.try nick cave.you ll love him too
@christophermoon64
A la Jean Genet.
@agemoth
American Beauty film does that.
@nostalgiclad19
One of the best songs from Lou Reed! The best thing about this is you don't need to sing to tell a story! Just stunning!
@livecoilarchive1458
My father hates Lou Reed...He just can't get behind his voice. Despite my best efforts, it's just not his thing. But "The Bed" is the one song he likes. I'm glad. This is probably Lou's secret masterpiece. People laud Transformer up and down and the title track from Street Hassle is arguably his artistic peak, but Berlin is his best album post-VU. Harshly criticized in its time but justifiably beloved in hindsight. The whole album is filled with fantastic songs, but there's just something so innately personal and perfect about this particular track. Lou really understood the deepest, hardest parts of the human condition, and he could express this empathy with simple, quiet guitar. He was a genius.
@IndustrialFan666
Metal Machine Music is pretty dope though I think a lot of people agree on that
@frommetoyou1981
Well said. This always stands out to me. So hauntingly beautiful.