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)
Waves Of Fear
Lou Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waves if revulsion, sickening sights
My heart's nearly bursting, my chest's choking tight
Waves of fear, waves of fear
Waves of fear, squat on the floor
Looking for some pill, the liquor is gone
Waves of fear, I'm too scared to leave
Waves of fear, waves of fear
Waves of fear, waves of fear
I'm too afraid to use the phone
I'm too afraid to put the light on
I'm so afraid I've lost control
I'm suffocating without a word
Crazy with sweat, spittle on my jaw
What's that funny noise, what's that on the floor
Waves of fear, pulsing with death
I curse my tremors, I jump at my own step
I cringe at my terror, I hate my own smell
I know where I must be, I must be in hell
Waves of fear, waves of fear
Waves of fear, waves of fear
Lou Reed's "Waves of Fear" is a haunting description of a panic attack. The first verse sets the tone with waves of fear attacking in the night, sickening sights overwhelming the singer, causing his heart to nearly burst and chest to choke tight. The repetition of "waves of fear" creates a sense of drowning, overwhelmed by the sensations of the panic attack. The second verse paints a picture of the singer squatting on the floor, desperate for some sort of relief, but unable to find it. His physical symptoms worsen as blood drips from his nose and he struggles to breathe. The repetition of "waves of fear" continues as he confesses to being too scared to leave.
In the final verse, the singer is paralyzed by his fear. He's too afraid to use the phone or turn on the light. His loss of control is suffocating him, leaving him unable to breathe without a word. He's become insane, sweating and drooling as he hears funny noises and sees strange things on the floor. The waves of fear become pulsing with death as the singer curses his own trembling, jumping at his own step, cringing at his own terror, and hating his own smell. The ultimate realization is that he must be in hell.
Overall, Lou Reed's "Waves of Fear" is a powerful depiction of the experience of anxiety and panic attacks. The haunting melody and repetition of the phrase "waves of fear" communicate the feeling of being overwhelmed and helpless in the face of overwhelming terror.
Line by Line Meaning
Waves of fear, attack in the night
I am experiencing bouts of intense fear which are coming on suddenly and without warning.
Waves if revulsion, sickening sights
The things that I am seeing and experiencing are making me feel ill and disgusted.
My heart's nearly bursting, my chest's choking tight
I am so overwhelmed by fear that it feels like my heart is going to explode and my chest is constricting.
Waves of fear, waves of fear
The waves of fear keep coming and it feels like they will never stop.
Waves of fear, squat on the floor
The fear has become so intense that I can't even stand up and am forced to crouch down.
Looking for some pill, the liquor is gone
I am desperate for something to take to calm my nerves but I don't have anything available.
Blood trips from my nose, I can barely breathe
The fear is causing physical symptoms such as a nosebleed and difficulty breathing.
Waves of fear, I'm too scared to leave
The fear has become so overwhelming that I am too scared to even consider leaving my current location.
I'm too afraid to use the phone
The fear is so intense that I am hesitant to even use the phone or communicate with anyone.
I'm too afraid to put the light on
The fear is so strong that I don't even want to turn on the lights in my current surroundings.
I'm so afraid I've lost control
The fear has left me feeling completely out of control and powerless.
I'm suffocating without a word
I feel like I am suffocating under the weight of the fear and cannot express it to anyone.
Crazy with sweat, spittle on my jaw
The fear is causing me to perspire heavily and drool uncontrollably.
What's that funny noise, what's that on the floor
The fear has me so paranoid that I am constantly hearing strange noises and seeing things on the floor.
Waves of fear, pulsing with death
The fear feels like it is so strong that it could lead to my own demise.
I curse my tremors, I jump at my own step
I am so consumed by fear that I hate the physical symptoms it is giving me such as trembling and jumping at any sudden movement.
I cringe at my terror, I hate my own smell
The fear is causing me to feel disgusted with myself and even my own body odor.
I know where I must be, I must be in hell
The fear is so intense that it feels like I am in a literal living hell.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ELIZABETH FRASER, LOU REED, ROBIN GUTHRIE, SIMON RAYMONDE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@goldengordnuggets4805
Waves of Fear
Lyrics
Waves of fear, attack in the night
Waves if revulsion, sickening sights
My heart's nearly bursting, my chest's choking tight
Waves of fear, waves of fear
Waves of fear, squat on the floor
Looking for some pill, the liquor is gone
Blood drips from my nose, I can barely breathe
Waves of fear, I'm too scared to leave
Waves of fear, waves of fear
Waves of fear, waves of fear
I'm too afraid to use the phone
I'm too afraid to put the light on
I'm so afraid I've lost control
I'm suffocating without a word
Crazy with sweat, spittle on my jaw
What's that funny noise, what's that on the floor
Waves of fear, pulsing with death
I curse my tremors, I jump at my own step
I cringe at my terror, I hate my own smell
I know where I must be, I must be in hell
Waves of fear, waves of fear
Waves of fear, waves of fear
Source: LyricFind
@KekwGuy
Close your eyes. Let your ears listen to the radio. Do you hear my
voice? Can you hear your own soul's scream? Let us choose. My voice that
tells the future. Or your tortured (inaudible). Well, what do you
choose? You can choose. Your life, your future. Wise as you are you
might already have discovered it. Yes, the radio drama from 75 years ago
was true. They are here on our earth and they monitor and see all.
Don't trust anyone. Don't trust the police. They are already controlled
by them. That's the way it has been for 75 years now. Only our best will
prevail. You have a right. A right to become one of us. So, welcome to
our world. Very soon the gates to a new dimension will open. 204863.
204863.
@punkmom08
Holy shit. Never heard this track before. Magnificent. R. I . P. Robert and Lou.
@thepostapocalyptictrio4762
Robert Quine’s slide playing is breathtaking.
@JonahJojoTheMan
I listened to this album for the first time in one sitting, with no breaks, and left the experience with an absolutely reinforced belief I already had about Lou: he is one of the greatest rockers and songwriters to ever walk this planet. This song is wonderful, as is the album.
Lou is like a God of music and poetry.
@ConnieLynchitzWhoElse
Robert Quine knew EXACTLY what he was doing with the lead guitar on this and Lou went with it. He absolutely MADE this album with his guitar chops.
All credit to Saunders on bass, and Lou who wrote the shit, but FUCK did Quine completely nail the lead guitar and give this album the edge over everything Lou had made prior.
@flip65515
Too bad Lou mixed Quine right out of the following record Legendary Hearts out of jealousy.
@grahamchapple3552
so quine his missus died from od months later he necked himself could not live without his missus heroin
@rugbysatan
just lou, just when you think you are safe, just when you are ok, get older and wiser, know what the life is about, lol
lou turns up, and reminds of all things inside you, fecker, great though, rotting now, but still left a mark
@MayonnaiseVenusaur
There will never be a better song about withdrawal.
@grahamchapple3552
20 years later i am glad not again
@copernicusnewton2569
@@grahamchapple3552 Congrats. The silver lining in experiencing all the visions, tremors, is that will forever be a reminder of how it's relatively good now.