New Age (The Velvet Underground song) explained

New Age
Type:song
Artist:The Velvet Underground
Album:Loaded
Released:November 1970
Recorded:April – August 1970
Studio:Atlantic, New York City
Genre:Soft rock
Label:Cotillion
Composer:Doug Yule - Lou Reed - Sterling Morrison
Lyricist:Doug Yule
Producer:Geoff Haslam - Shel Kagan - The Velvet Underground

"New Age" is the fifth song on The Velvet Underground album Loaded (1970). It is one of the four songs that feature Doug Yule on vocals, encouraged by main singer and songwriter Lou Reed.[1] The song also appears on , with Reed on vocals, singing an earlier, significantly different version of the lyrics.

In its original form, it was about Reed's girlfriend at the time, Shelley Albin, and included a possible reference to Reed's bisexuality: "It seems to be my fancy to make it with Frank and Nancy." The later, studio version is written from the point of view of a fan addressing a "fat blonde actress".[2]

When the album was released, this song caused controversy. Reed, who had left the band a month before, stated that his original versions of "Sweet Jane", "Rock and Roll" and "New Age" were corrupted. Doug Yule, on the other hand, insists that Reed's mixes were respected.[3]

The Fully Loaded issue of the Loaded album (1997) includes an alternate version of "New Age", along with the other previously "corrupted" songs, subtitled "full-length version". It is about a minute longer than the LP version.[4]

Notable covers

The cover album Strange Little Girls (2001) by Tori Amos features a cover of the song (using the original lyrics).[5]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Jovanovic. Rob. Seeing the Light: Inside the Velvet Underground. 2012. Macmillan. 9781429942263. 134. Reed was happy to let Yule sing and encouraged him to occasionally take lead vocals..
  2. Book: Unterberger. Richie. White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day-By-Day. 2009. Jawbone Press. 978-1-906002-22-0. 258.
  3. Web site: Thomas. Pat. Doug Yule interview. Perfect Sound Forever. 20 February 2015.
  4. Book: Unterberger. Richie. White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day-By-Day. 2009. Jawbone Press. 978-1-906002-22-0. 279. It's also included on Fully Loaded Edition, which adds yet another version that runs about a minute longer than the LP mix..
  5. Web site: Tori Amos – Strange Little Girls. discogs. 21 February 2015.