I Love You, Suzanne - Lou Reed

I Love You, Suzanne - Lou Reed

3:17

New Sensations, 1984

Written by Lou Reed

After a murmured spoken word introduction: "You broke my heart and you made me cry / You said that I couldn't dance / But now I'm back to let you know / That I can really make romance," this song turns into a hand-clapping, catchy crooning rocker, with some very basic lyrics supporting the title, on repeat.  The crunchy guitar riff really makes the song, which makes it a real shame that the riff is the subject of a split between Reed and Robert Quine, who claimed Reed nicked it off him.

Underneath the Bottle - Lou Reed

Underneath the Bottle - Lou Reed

2:33

The Blue Mask, 1982

Written by Lou Reed

A first-person account of days filled with alcoholism, blacking out, and the DTs.  Reed rattles off images of having the shakes, bruises of unknown provenance, and suicidal thoughts, all the while sounding positively chipper ("Ooh ooh whee, son of a B / You get so down, you can't get any lower."  I love that "son of a B!"  There's no chorus, no flashy guitar solos, just a straightforward account of desperation, with guitar.

Rock And Roll Heart - Lou Reed

Rock And Roll Heart - Lou Reed

3:06

Rock And Roll Heart, 1976

Written by Lou Reed

Lou Reed gets anthemic, sort of.  It's a low-key groove that trades Reed's usual grit and snarl for a smooth, almost loungey vibe.  He's just looking for a good time, you know?  It has one of Lou's corniest couplets: "I guess I'm just dumb, 'cause I know that I ain't smart / But deep down inside, I got a rock 'n' roll heart."  He's staking out a new identity on a new album, with a sly shrug.  Maybe it's really Lou Reed this time, or maybe it's just "Lou Reed."

Charley's Girl - Lou Reed

Charley's Girl - Lou Reed

2:39

Coney Island Baby, 1975

Written by Lou Reed

One of Reed's more cheery-sounding songs, this has a simple but very catchy riff (it has a faint echo of "Walk On the Wild Side"), a reserved vocal, and even cowbell.  The narrator bemoans the fact that someone, possibly the law, has come down on him.  They said to watch out for Charley's girl: "Man, she's going to turn you in."  And how here they come trying to break up the band.  Somehow Sharon is at fault.  It's not entirely clear.  I would prefer another verse from Reed instead of an ad nauseam chorus, but at this length everything is all right.

Legendary Hearts - Lou Reed

Legendary Hearts - Lou Reed

3:25

Legendary Hearts, 1983

Written by Lou Reed

This song addresses conflicts between an idealized world of love and fidelity (the "good" Lou Reed), and the reality of struggling with weaknesses like drugs, rage, and selfishness (the Lou Reed of the albums).  It's a pretty and stately tune built around Fernando Saunders' bass, with a slow, almost country sound.  The narrator tells us that one must fight for love, fight for what's right.  "No legendary love is coming from above / It's in this room right now."

Some Kind Of Nature - Gorillaz featuring Lou Reed

Some Kind Of Nature - Gorillaz featuring Lou Reed

2:59

Plastic Beach, 2010

Written by Lou Reed, Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett and Remi Kabaka Jr.

A song, like its album, that evokes an environmental apocalyptic wasteland.  An unusually dry and lugubrious-sounding Reed rattles off fragment-visions of an artificial, toxic world over a deceptively bright beat.  "Well, me, I like plastics and digital foils / Could wrap up the sound and protect the girls."  Reed's detached, could-not-give-a-shit vocals really sell the whole package.  Indifference is what will get us in the end, until all we have is misplaced hope.  "It's got to come and find us / All we are is dust."

Iced Honey - Lou Reed & Metallica

Iced Honey - Lou Reed & Metallica

4:35

Lulu, 2011

Written by Lou Reed, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, Robert Trujillo and James Hetfield

The album this song is on was panned on its release and time has not softened the reception, although it's obviously perfectly of a piece with previous Lou Reed experiments like "The Murder Mystery," "White Light/White Heat," "The Gift," and "Like a Possum."  I think people who reviled this album were more Metallica fans than Lou Reed junkies.  The lyrics are, as is often the case for Lou, somewhat abstract: "No matter what you say, no matter what you do / A butterfly heart flies right past you / There's nothing to say, nothing to do / See if the ice will melt for you."  But Reed's guttersnipe sneering vocal delivery and the pounding, ferocious music give this project a real punch.  I love to hear Reed and Hetfield's voices blending on the last lines.