Vicious (song)

Last updated
"Vicious"
Vicious (Lou Reed song).jpg
Single by Lou Reed
from the album Transformer
B-side "Goodnight Ladies (US)"
ReleasedJuly 1973 (US)
RecordedAugust 1972
Studio Trident Studios, London
Genre
Label RCA Records
Songwriter(s) Lou Reed
Producer(s) David Bowie and
Mick Ronson

"Vicious" is a song written by Lou Reed, released as a single in 1973 and originally featured on Transformer , Reed's second post-Velvet Underground solo album. [3] [4]

Contents

Origins

Lou Reed told Rolling Stone that Andy Warhol inspired the song: "He said, 'Why don't you write a song called 'Vicious'? And I said, 'What kind of vicious?' 'Oh, you know, vicious like I hit you with a flower.' And I wrote it down literally." [5]

Reception

Cash Box said that "Reed's lyric has a somewhat sarcastic tone that makes the listener take note almost immediately. Here again, he shines with a driving rocker and a great story line that should make this effort a natural hit." [6]

Personnel

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References

  1. Savage, Jon (February 1, 2013). "The 20 best glam-rock songs of all time". The Guardian . Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  2. HistoryCaps (2012). Combat Rock: A History of Punk (from It's[sic] Origins to the Present). BookCaps Study Guides. p. 15. ISBN   9781621073154.
  3. Tosches, Nick (1973-01-04). "Transformer". Rolling Stone .
  4. "Thurston Moore: Punk". Rolling Stone .
  5. "Vicious". Rolling Stone . 1989. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012.
  6. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 11, 1973. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-12-11.