Nico started a successful career as a model in Berlin and Paris, studied acting at Lee Strasberg's New York Actor Studio. She then became part of the Swinging London scene, and had a short relationship with The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones and she recorded her first record in London in 1965, the single I'm Not Saying/The Last Mile, produced by Jimmy Page, for Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham's label Immediate Records. Thanks to Jones she met Andy Warhol in New York City and became part of Warhol's Factory, and Warhol introduced her to the Rock band The Velvet Underground, with whom she recorded the album "The Velvet Underground & Nico", featuring the legendary banana cover designed by Andy Warhol. The album has been named by numerous publications as one of the top 100 albums of all time, and is often considered one of history's 10 most influential albums by critics.
Nico later recorded several solo albums, including the folksy Chelsea Girl in 1967, followed by original albums such as The Marble Index and Desertshore, which were much darker and avant garde in style. She released several more albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including The End..., but died in 1988 from a cerebral hemorrhage after falling from her bike in Ibiza, Spain. She is buried in Berlin, next to her mother.
Solo studio discography:
1967 - Chelsea Girl
1969 - The Marble Index
1970 - Desertshore
1974 - The End...
1981 - Drama of Exile
1985 - Camera Obscura
Live discography:
1974 - June 1, 1974 (with Kevin Ayers, John Cale, and Brian Eno)
1986 - Behind the Iron Curtain
1986 - Live Heroes
1986 - Nico in Tokyo
1989 - Hanging Gardens
1993 - Do or Die!
1994 - Heroine
1994 - Fata Morgana
1994 - Live in Pécs 1985
2000 - In Europe: Do or Die, Diary 1982
2001 - Janitor of Lunacy
2003 - 1972-01-29: Le Bataclan, Paris, France (with Lou Reed and John Cale)
2007 - All Tomorrow's Parties: Live
Eulogy to Lenny Bruce
Nico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I don't know why
But never again
Will we get together to die.
And why after every last shot
Was there always another ?
Why after all you hadn't got
Did you leave your life to your mother ?
And Honey Harlow
The singer burlesque queen
How did she know
You needed morphine ?
Why didn't you listen
To the warning words of your friends
While they told you so ?
I know you couldn't listen
To people talk about
What they didn't know.
I've lost a friend
And I don't know why
But never again
Will we get together to die.
And why after every last shot
Was there always another ?
Why after all you hadn't got
Did you leave your life to your mother ?
Nico's song "Eulogy to Lenny Bruce" is a melancholic tribute to the American comedian who faced controversy, censorship, and drug addiction during his career in the 1950s and 1960s. The song starts with Nico grieving the loss of a friend, referring to Lenny Bruce's premature death at the age of 40 due to a drug overdose. Nico ponders why they will never get together to die again, implying that Lenny's self-destructive behavior and addiction prevented them from enjoying each other's company.
The chorus repeats the lines "why after every last shot was there always another?" and "why after all you hadn't got did you leave your life to your mother?" The former refers to Lenny Bruce's addiction to morphine and heroin, and the latter to his decision to sign over his estate to his mother before he died. Nico also mentions another friend, Honey Harlow, a burlesque singer with whom Lenny had a relationship and who allegedly introduced him to drugs. Nico questions why neither Lenny nor Honey heeded the warning words of their friends and why he couldn't listen to people talk about what they didn't know.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of sadness, frustration, and regret. Nico remembers Lenny Bruce and his tragic fate, as well as the difficulty of coping with addiction and the social stigma associated with non-conformist behavior. The song suggests that Lenny was a victim of his own demons and the narrow-mindedness of society.
Line by Line Meaning
I've lost a friend
I am mourning the loss of a friend
And I don't know why
I am confused about the reason for my friend's death
But never again
I know that we can never meet again because you're gone
Will we get together to die.
We cannot indulge in self-destructive behavior anymore
And why after every last shot
I wonder why you kept drinking even after finishing one
Was there always another ?
Did you keep drinking to escape your problems?
Why after all you hadn't got
Even after achieving great success, why were you still unhappy?
Did you leave your life to your mother ?
Did you feel like there was no other way out but to die and burden your mother by leaving her behind?
And Honey Harlow
You were also close friends with Honey Harlow
The singer burlesque queen
She was a burlesque queen and a talented singer
How did she know
How did she find out that you were addicted to morphine?
You needed morphine ?
Did you turn to morphine to cope with your emotional pain?
Why didn't you listen
Your friends tried to warn you about the dangers of drugs
To the warning words of your friends
But you chose not to listen to their good advice
While they told you so ?
Did you ignore them because you thought they didn't understand your problems?
I know you couldn't listen
Perhaps your personal demons were too loud and you couldn't hear your friends
To people talk about
You didn't like others speaking about your personal life
What they didn't know.
Especially gossipers who didn't even have the right information about you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TIM HARDIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Edwin Williamson
Some of my favourite songs with a creepy ass vibe
The Cure - A Forest
Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead
The Doors - The End
The Birthday Party - Nick the Stripper
Syd Barrett - Golden Hair
Q Lazarus - Goodbye Horses
Boards of Canada - Devil is in the Details
Fleetwood Mac - The Green Manalishi
Nico - Eulogy to Lenny
Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
PJ Harvey - Bring you my Love
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Joy Division - Dead Souls
Nirvana - Something in the Way
Paul Giovanni - Willow's Song
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Israel
The Sound - I Can't Escape Myself
The Pop Group - We are all Prostitutes
Marianne Faithfull - Sister Morphine (1969 version)
Sisters of Mercy - Marianne
Velvet Underground - Venus in Furs
Edwin Williamson
Some of my favourite songs with a creepy ass vibe
The Cure - A Forest
Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead
The Doors - The End
The Birthday Party - Nick the Stripper
Syd Barrett - Golden Hair
Q Lazarus - Goodbye Horses
Boards of Canada - Devil is in the Details
Fleetwood Mac - The Green Manalishi
Nico - Eulogy to Lenny
Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
PJ Harvey - Bring you my Love
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Joy Division - Dead Souls
Nirvana - Something in the Way
Paul Giovanni - Willow's Song
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Israel
The Sound - I Can't Escape Myself
The Pop Group - We are all Prostitutes
Marianne Faithfull - Sister Morphine (1969 version)
Sisters of Mercy - Marianne
Velvet Underground - Venus in Furs
Jonathan Cruz
This playlist is so good!!! Thanks 🙏🏽
femme-mirage
🖤
Edwin Williamson
Cassandre Eris merci pour votre message, je suis ravi que vous ayez aimé découvrir ces chansons. X
Edwin Williamson
@Jonathan Cruz 👍
Adrian Cooke
Atomic Rooster: Death Walks Behind You
Siouxsie and The Banshees: Mother
Paula Veevers
This woman is just a amazing individual who is sadly missed, x
micky a
Perhaps she's right here once again:) her soul is surely eternal.
Franco
@micky a Yep, perhaps she's been here always.
Jeff Travis
Remarkable, still to this day. Hardin's lyrics and Nico's voice- it's as if they were meant to go together.