The album is the pair's first collaboration since 1972, and is dedicated to the memory of Andy Warhol, their mentor, who had died unexpectedly in 1987. Drella was a nickname for Warhol, a portmanteau of Dracula and Cinderella, used by Warhol's crowd.
Songs for Drella offers a kind of vie romancée of Warhol, focusing on his interpersonal relations. The songs fall roughly into three categories: Warhol's (semi-fictitious) first-person perspective, third-person narratives chronicling events and affairs, and first-person feelings towards and commentaries on Warhol by Reed and Cale themselves.
The pair had been playing the songs live in 1989 as a song cycle before committing them to tape. By the end of recording Cale vowed never to work with Reed again due to personal differences; nevertheless, Songs for Drella would prove to be the overture to a full-blown Velvet Underground reunion: a one-off performance of "Heroin" in 1990, and a tour in 1993.
Although the album was conceived as an indivisible whole, a single was released off it, "Nobody But You".
Open House
Lou Reed & John Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come over to 81st street I'm in the apartment above the bar
You know can't miss it, it's across from this subway
and the tacky store with the mylar scarves
My skin's as pale as the outdoors moon
My hair's silver like a Tiffany watch
I like lots of people around me but don't kiss hello
and please don't touch
The way to make friends Andy is invite them up for tea
Open house, open house
I've got a lot of cats, here's my favourite
she's a lady called Sam
I made a paper doll of her - you can have it
That's what I did when I had St. Vitus dance
It's a Czechoslovakian custom my mother passed on to me
Give people little presents so they'll remember me
Open house, open house
Someone bring the vegetables, someone please bring heat
My mother showed up yesterday, we need something to eat
I think I got a job today they want me to draw shoes
The ones I drew were old and used
They told me to draw something new
Open house, open house
Fly me to the moon, fly me to a star
But there are no stars in the New York sky
They're all on the ground
You scared yourself with music, I scared myself with paint
I drew 550 different shoes today
It almost made me faint
Open house, open house
The lyrics to Lou Reed & John Cale's song Open House paints a vivid picture of an apartment filled with eccentricities and unique customs. The first verse describes the location of the apartment, drawing attention to its somewhat odd surroundings, like the tacky store with the mylar scarves. The singer then establishes a few quirky customs, like not kissing hello and asking guests not to touch, and explains them through his Czechoslovakian heritage. The singer then extends an invitation for an open house, indicating that he enjoys having many people around him.
The second verse provides more insight into the apartment and its owner. The singer has many cats, with one named Sam that he's made a paper doll of to gift to guests. He reveals that he had St. Vitus dance, a neurological disorder characterized by rapid, involuntary movements, and suggests that making paper dolls was a comforting activity for him during that time. He also relays another Czechoslovakian custom his mother taught him – gifting people little presents so they'll remember him.
The final verse touches on a few different topics. The singer mentions needing vegetables and food for the open house, and then brings up his new job drawing shoes. However, the shoes he had drawn before were deemed old and used, so he had to come up with new designs. He concludes with a somewhat surreal line about stars being on the ground in New York and both him and the listener scaring themselves with their respective hobbies.
Overall, Open House is a whimsical song that gives a glimpse into a peculiar world. The eccentricities and customs mentioned in the lyrics add to the overall abstract tone of the track.
Line by Line Meaning
Please
Come over to 81st street I'm in the apartment above the bar
You know can't miss it, it's across from this subway
and the tacky store with the mylar scarves
Come visit me in my apartment on 81st street, which is above a bar and across from a subway and a store selling cheap and gimmicky merchandise.
My skin's as pale as the outdoors moon
My hair's silver like a Tiffany watch
I like lots of people around me but don't kiss hello
and please don't touch
I have very fair skin and silver hair. I enjoy having many people around me, but I don't like physical contact such as kissing, and I'd like you to leave me alone.
It's a Czechoslovakian custom my mother passed on to me
The way to make friends Andy is invite them up for tea
Open house, open house
My mother from Czechoslovakia taught me the custom of making friends by inviting them to my house for tea. So, come to my open house party to be my friend.
I've got a lot of cats, here's my favourite
she's a lady called Sam
I made a paper doll of her - you can have it
That's what I did when I had St. Vitus dance
I have many cats, and my favorite one is called Sam. I even made a paper doll of her that I want to give you. I did this while recovering from St. Vitus dance, a neurological disorder I once had.
It's a Czechoslovakian custom my mother passed on to me
Give people little presents so they'll remember me
Open house, open house
My mother taught me another Czechoslovakian custom: giving people small gifts so that they remember me. Again, I'm inviting you to my open house party, where I'll give you a gift.
Someone bring the vegetables, someone please bring heat
My mother showed up yesterday, we need something to eat
I think I got a job today they want me to draw shoes
The ones I drew were old and used
They told me to draw something new
Open house, open house
I need help with preparing food for my guests, so someone should bring vegetables while someone else should bring something spicy. Also, my mother came over and I need more food. I may have found a new job where I have to design shoes, but the ones I submitted were rejected for being old and worn. I need to create something fresh for my upcoming open house party.
Fly me to the moon, fly me to a star
But there are no stars in the New York sky
They're all on the ground
You scared yourself with music, I scared myself with paint
I drew 550 different shoes today
It almost made me faint
Open house, open house
I want to escape the world through imagination, but reality is harsh in New York, where there are no stars in the sky. You found comfort in music, but I found it in painting. I drew 550 shoes in one day, which was exhausting. But still, come to my open house party because it's important to me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN DAVIES CALE, LOU REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind