Watch Blondie cover The Velvet Underground song ‘Femme Fatale’ at CBGBs in 1975
There were two strict rules at CBGB, the legendary Bowery bar in New York City that birthed the American punk boom of the mid-1970s. In fact, one of the rules probably helped ensure that movement actually happened in the first place. One was that bands had to move their own equipment: owner Hilly Kristal wasn’t about to schlep amps and drums on the house. The second was that only original material could be performed at the bar.
Although it now looks like a call for creative independence, Kristal’s reasoning was entirely economic. He didn’t want to pay the standard fees that music venues had to give to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), which were charged any time a copyrighted song is played at a venue. It was one extra expense that Kristal wasn’t willing to spend, and his decision inadvertently caused upstart bands to find their own voice.
Thanks to Kristal’s notorious reputation for watching the books, it was almost impossible to get something past him. But occasionally, cover songs were either allowed to pass by or were snuck by Kristal’s purview without him finding out. That’s what happened when a new band named Blondie started to play gigs at CBGBs in the summer of 1975.
Although they were quick to work up their own material, Blondie still had a few covers in their arsenal when they started to play at CBGBs. The Shangri-Las’ ‘Out in the Streets’ was a favourite, having been included on their first demo tape for Instant Records. Another was from The Velvet Underground, a legendary New York City institution who were less than a decade removed from their debut LP, 1967’s The Velvet Underground and Nico.
Although late-period bassist Doug Yule carried the band name all the way to 1973 before breaking up officially, the classic lineup of The Velvet Underground had long since disbanded by the time Blondie were covering ‘Femme Fatale’. German singer Nico, who provided lead vocals for the original recording and was an early inspiration to lead singer Debbie Harry, left the band after the release of The Velvet Underground and Nico. Bassist/viola player John Cale was ousted by Lou Reed in 1968, with guitarist Sterling Morrison enrolled in the City College of New York in 1970. By the summer of 1970, Reed was out as well, leaving just Yule to record one final album, 1973’s Squeeze, before closing up shop for good.
In some twisted way, The Velvet Underground weren’t even cold in the ground when Blondie were paying their respects as the next generation of NYC provacateurs. Whether Kristal recognised ‘Femme Fatale’ is uncertain: the club was called Country, BlueGrass, and Blues for a reason. But even the most ignorant people in the crowd would be able to see the torch being passed. Check out Blondie’s performance of ‘Femme Fatale’ down below.
