Candy Says (Velvet Underground cover)

An ode to a magical, partly fictional Lou Reed

Sweet Lou. Photo by Adam itchie/Redferns.

It’s hard to believe that someone with a reputation for being as relentlessly thorny and unkind as Lou Reed could write something as empathetic and tender as “Candy Says.” But he did. And he even had the good sense to have Doug Yule sing it, which added a layer of innocence and believable warmth Lou must have known he couldn’t quite sell.

This is all my way of saying, I guess, that I don’t quite believe the nasty image most of us have of what Lou Reed was really like. I don’t doubt the stories of his cruelty to others and his mistreatment of people that deserved better. But what doesn’t make sense is the idea that any amount of bad behavior could conceal a heart big enough to write “What do you think I’d see/If I could walk away from me?”

I love this song so much. And I love the Lou Reed that belongs to only me, partly fictional as my Lou might be. The Lou Reed made of a powerful magic able to move one’s mind behind someone else’s eyes.

This Week in Wilco, Etc.

1992 / April 23: At Mississippi Nights in St. Louis, Mike Heidorn plays his last show with Uncle Tupelo. To mark the occasion, the band play covers from their early days as The Primatives.

2004 / April 23: Martha Wainwright opens for Golden Smog at the Bowery Ballroom in New York. Golden Smog cover Love’s “Signed D.C.,” Carly Simon's “You’re So Vain,” and The Clash’s “Police and Thieves.”

2016 / April 27: The Big Star tribute show, Thank You, Friends: Big Star’s Third Live takes place at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA. It is later released as an album and DVD by Concord Bicycle Music. Both Jeff and Pat contribute and appear on six of the songs.

Candy Says (Velvet Underground cover)