Tag Archives: song

Song of the Day: I Believe by Lou Reed & John Cale

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In today’s song of the day, Lou Reed sings about Andy Warhol and discusses his personal feelings toward Valerie Solanas, the woman who shot and nearly killed him.

Judging from the lyrics, this song was written after Warhol’s death in 1987 but before Solanas’s death in 1988.  Needless to say, Reed did not have much use or sympathy for those who attempted to turn Solanas into a revolutionary icon or who claimed that her action could be explained by her mental illness.  Reed demanded retribution and, with this brilliantly angry song, he got a little.

This song comes from Songs For Drella, a 15-song cycle about the life and art of Andy Warhol.

Valerie Solanas took the elevator
got off at the 4th floor
Valerie Solanas took the elevator
got off at the 4th floor
She pointed the gun at Andy saying
you cannot control me anymore

I believe there’s got to be some retribution
I believe an eye for an eye is elemental
I believe that something’s wrong if she’s alive right now

Valerie Solanas took three steps
pointing at the floor
Valerie Solanas waved her gun
pointing at the floor
From inside her idiot madness spoke and bang
Andy fell onto the floor

I believe life’s serious enough for retribution
I believe being sick is no excuse and –
I believe I would’ve pulled the switch on her myself

When they got him to the hospital
his pulse was gone they thought that he was dead
His guts were pouring from his wounds
onto the floor they thought that he was dead
Not until years later would
the hospital do to him what she could not
what she could not

Where were you, you didn’t come to see me
Andy said, I think I died, why didn’t you come to see me
Andy said, It hurt so much, they took blood from my hand

I believe there’s got to be some retribution
I believe there’s got to be some retribution
I believe we are all the poorer for it now

Visit me, visit me
Visit me, visit me
Visit me, why didn’t you visit me
visit me, why didn’t you visit me
Visit me, visit me
visit me, why didn’t you visit me

Songwriters: John Cale/Lou Reed

Song of the Day: Mean Street by Van Halen

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I was trying to figure out what song to pick for song of the day when I happened to see that today would have been Eddie Van Halen’s birthday.  I nearly picked Panama for our song but then I saw this video for a song called Mean Street on YouTube and I felt the video showed off Van Halen’s guitar playing a bit more than the video for Panama.

And that’s how Mean Street become today’s song of the day!

(Plus, I want to save Panama for whenever we get around to officially annexing it.)

At night I walk this stinkin’ street past the crazys on my block and I see the same old faces and I hear that same old talk and I’m searching for the latest thing, a break in this routine, I’m talkin’ some new kicks, ones like you ain’t never seen

This is home, well, this is Mean Street, it’s our home, the only one I know

And we don’t worry ’bout tomorrow ’cause we’re sick of these four walls
Now what you think is nothin’ might be somethin’ after all
Now you know this ain’t no through street, the end is dead ahead
The poor folks play for keeps down here, they’re the living dead

Come on down, huh, down to Mean Street
They’re dancin’ now, Lord, out on Mean Street
Dance, baby

It’s always here and now, my friend, it ain’t once upon a time, it’s all over, but the shouting, I come, I take what’s mine
We’re searching for the latest thing, a break in this routine, talkin’ some new kicks ones like you ain’t never seen

This is home, mmm, this is Mean Street, it’s our home, only one I know

See, a gun is real easy in this desperate part of town, turns you from hunted into hunter (yeah), you go an’ hunt somebody down, wait a minute, ah, somebody said fair warning, Lord, Lord, strike that poor boy down

Songwriters: Edward Van Halen / Alex Van Halen / Michael Anthony / David Lee Roth

Song of the Day: Things To Come, performed by the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The courtyard at UNT’s Bruce Hall, the former home of this writer!

Since today is Tobe Hooper’s birthday and I’ve already shared a scene from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it seems appropriate that today’s song of the day should come from Texas as well!

Here is the University of North Texas’s One O’Clock Lab band performing Dizzy Gillespie’s Things To Come!