6. "Vicious"
Album:
Transformer (1972) For many Lou Reed fans, "Vicious" was the song that made them fall in love with him. It's the first track on his David Bowie/Mick Ronson-produced album
Transformer and it's a rambunctious, rollicking glam-rock explosion of a tune, featuring brilliantly stinging guitar (courtesy of Ronson) and smirking, sneering vocals from Lou - a definite departure from his work with The Velvet Underground. It's the lyrics that set the song apart from other glam tunes of the era - lyrics that Lou was inspired to write after having a conversation with Andy Warhol in the late '60s. "Vicious," Lou intones, "hey, you hit me with a flower." This isn't a song about sex, but the way Lou sings it suggests otherwise. "Vicious, you want to hit me with a stick - but all I've got''s a guitar pick." Dumb, but compellingly so. It's this kind of playfulness that Lou rarely revisited, more often choosing to sing about the dark side of Warhol and his Factory. "Vicious" is one of those rare moments when Lou sets out to write a feel-good song - and succeeds with flying colors. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIdc0NGumVc