Lou Reed or John Cale: Who wrote most of The Velvet Underground’s lyrics?
It can never truly be understated just how much of an influential band The Velvet Underground were. The band were responsible for putting together a great range of songs that completely transcended any kind of genre or style. It paved the way for a lot of bands, as there were no longer rules surrounding what kind of music they should make. Instead, they followed in the footsteps of The Velvet Underground and embraced the new freedom available to them.
David Byrne admitted during an interview that the Velvet Underground were one of the greatest influences on the Talking Heads. When you listen to their discography, you can hear the versatility, which feels like it mirrors what The Velvet Underground were putting out. They are one of many bands that embraced not having any rules.
“The Velvet Underground were a big revelation. I realised, ‘Oh, look at the subject of their songs: There’s a tune and a melody, but the sound is either completely abrasive or really pretty’,” said Byrne, “They swing from one extreme to the other. ‘White Light/White Heat’ is just this noise, and then ‘Candy Says’ is incredibly pretty but really kind of dark. As a young person, you go, ‘What is this about?’”
Of course, the band aren’t just renowned for their music, but their poetic lyrics as well. Both Lou Reed and John Cale had a real way with words that went into every song that The Velvet Underground put out. Their music was both parts experimental and grounded, a contradiction that appealed to the masses and which continues to resonate as a true piece of art that pushed sound to its limits. However, who out of the two of them wrote the most lyrics, Lou Reed or John Cale?
Who wrote the most lyrics for The Velvet Underground?
John Cale wrote and co-wrote a number of great songs for the band. However, it’s worth noting that there were very few tracks that he was the solo writer on. Lou Reed was the primary songwriter for the majority of the tracks for The Velvet Underground. He put together a number of different songs, and John Cale would help out with co-writing duties.
Reed was very serious when it came to writing, as he wanted there to be more weight placed on the lyrics in rock music. He didn’t think that artists thought enough about what they put down in their songs, and wanted his lyrics to be more of a reflection of literature rather than standard rock music at the time.
“You don’t want to actually listen to the lyrics of a rock ‘n’ roll record,” he once proclaimed, “I mean, for what? It’s not like when you read a book and you come across a great line, it would be great if you got that in a song I thought.”
What are Lou Reed’s greatest lyrics?
Given how many different topics Lou Reed wrote about, his best lyrics vary depend on who your asking. His music spoke about drugs, addiction, society and various human emotions. That being said, there are a few songs that stand out as some of his best, some of which for The Velvet Underground were ‘Heroin’, ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ and ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’.
He also wrote a number of great songs as a solo artist, and as a result of all the effort he put into his music, he is often regarded as one of the greatest lyricists on the planet.
