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
It Has Not Taken Long
Nico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The hunters they are hiding from me
A wooden hand, a golden reed
A waiting end for them to bleed
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la La la la la la la la la
It has not taken long, it has not taken long
To feast our naked eye upon
The open blade
The hungry beast have found her calling
Calling "help me, please"
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
Nico's "It Has Not Taken Long" is a haunting and mysterious song that seems to be about a hunter who is being hunted. The lyrics describe a sense of foreboding and violence, with references to a wooden hand and golden reed as well as a waiting end for those who are being hunted. The repetition of the phrase "it has not taken long" adds to the sense of urgency and danger in the song.
One interpretation of the lyrics is that they represent the cycle of violence and death in nature. The hunter becomes the hunted, and the "hungry beast" finds her calling in the kill. The phrase "help me, please" could be seen as a plea for mercy from the victim or a cry for help from the hunter. The la-la-las that punctuate the song only add to its unsettling atmosphere, suggesting a sense of madness or hysteria.
Overall, "It Has Not Taken Long" is a deeply poetic and evocative song that leaves much to the imagination. It is a haunting reminder of the fragility of life and the brutality of the natural world.
Line by Line Meaning
It has not taken long, it has not taken long
The singer points out that whatever has recently occurred has happened very quickly.
The hunters they are hiding from me
The hunters are in hiding, probably from the singer, who represents a danger to them.
A wooden hand, a golden reed
These items may be symbolic or metaphorical and don't necessarily have a literal meaning, though they may relate to ideas of fragility or value.
A waiting end for them to bleed
The hunters are anticipating a violent end where they will be wounded and bleed.
La la la la la la la la
This is a nonspecific vocalization (like singing 'tra-la-la') that doesn't have a direct meaning in the lyrics.
To feast our naked eye upon
Something has been exposed that can be seen directly and in detail.
The open blade
This is a dangerous object that is now visible and in use.
The hungry beast have found her calling
This may be a metaphor, but it suggests that an animal or some other creature has found a purpose, possibly related to the previously mentioned danger.
Calling 'help me, please'
This is a plea for assistance from someone or something that is in trouble, suffering, or under duress.
Contributed by Layla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.