Saturday, November 21, 2009

Velvet Underground - I'll Be Your Mirror

Allegedly this song's genesis is that Lou Reed was feeling down and Nico told him, in her deep-voiced German accent: "Oh, Lou. I'll be your mirror." She also claimed after they broke up that he couldn't bear dating her, or any German woman, because of the Holocaust. I don't know how much truth is in these stories, but Nico's voice - especially how aggressively untrained and flat it could be - has always struck me as sort of completely honest. I completely get the sense that she is allowing herself to find a place within herself to connect with the lyrics she's singing, and can let you in on that insight. This made her a perfect match for Lou Reed's lyrics, as he's always been unable to convey anything but sneering sarcasm with his lyric delivery, and he eventually devolved into just stating the lyrics, like early William Shatner songs.
Here's I'll Be Your Mirror, which is one of my favorite Nico-sung songs, and also serves as a welcome respite from the far less forgiving and affectionate songs that precede it on the album (thought they, too, are terrific).

1 comment:

Sarah said...

I really like this song, too. From, Sarah