Vicious (Lou Reed song)

"Vicious"
Single by Lou Reed
from the album Transformer
B-side"Goodnight Ladies" (US)
"Satellite of Love" (Europe)
ReleasedApril 1973[1]
RecordedAugust 1972
StudioTrident Studios, London
Genre
Length2:56
LabelRCA Victor
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.[5][6]

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."[7]

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."[8]

"Vicious" was featured on season 4, episode 5 of the Showtime TV series Billions.[9]

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 681. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ Savage, Jon (February 1, 2013). "The 20 best glam-rock songs of all time". The Guardian. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  3. ^ Potter, Jordan (December 20, 2023). "Far Out 40: The best songs of the glam-rock wave". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  4. ^ HistoryCaps (2012). Combat Rock: A History of Punk (from It's [sic] Origins to the Present). BookCaps Study Guides. p. 15. ISBN 9781621073154.
  5. ^ Tosches, Nick (1973-01-04). "Transformer". Rolling Stone.
  6. ^ "Thurston Moore: Punk". Rolling Stone. 4 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Vicious". Rolling Stone. 1989. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012.
  8. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 11, 1973. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  9. ^ Leeds, Sarene (April 14, 2019). "Billions Recap: The Payback". Vulture. Retrieved January 27, 2022. Once I heard Lou Reed's "Vicious," I was like, "OMG, Axe is going to kill this guy on their spontaneous fishing trip!" (There's even a Natalie Wood reference, for crying out loud.)


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