Run Run Run (The Velvet Underground song)

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"Run Run Run"
Song by the Velvet Underground
from the album The Velvet Underground & Nico
ReleasedMarch 12, 1967 (1967-03-12)
Recorded
  • April 1966
Genre
Length4:22
Label Verve
Songwriter(s) Lou Reed
Producer(s) Andy Warhol

"Run Run Run" is a song by the Velvet Underground originally released on the band's 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico .

Contents

The song was written on the back of an envelope by Lou Reed while he and the band were on their way to a gig at the Café Bizarre. [3] The song details a number of characters living in New York City, including Teenage Mary, Margarita Passion, Seasick Sarah, and Beardless Harry, all of whom are detailed using or seeking drugs. In addition to mentioning New York scenery such as Union Square and 47th Street, the song makes use of drug terms paired with religious imagery. Two of the four verses directly speak of heroin use, a theme found in the album. In the song, Marguerita Passion tried to sell her soul in order to get "a fix", while Seasick Sarah "turned blue", causing her angels to panic. The song is also well known because of Lou Reed's guitar solo, and its lack of a conventional approach.

Personnel

Cover versions

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References

  1. John McFerrin Review. John McFerrin. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  2. DeRogatis, Jim (2003). Turn On Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. p. 80. ISBN   0-634-05548-8.
  3. Harvard, Joe (2007) [2004]. The Velvet Underground & Nico . 33⅓. New York, NY: Continuum International Publishing Group. pp.  105. ISBN   978-0-8264-1550-9.
  4. Adams, Gregory (September 7, 2012). "Flowers Of Hell Reveal Odes Details". Exclaim! . Retrieved September 9, 2012.