I'm Waiting for the Man

"I'm Waiting for the Man" (sometimes titled "I'm Waiting for My Man")[3] is a song by the American rock band the Velvet Underground, written by Lou Reed. It was first released on their 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico.

"I'm Waiting for the Man"
1971 single b/w "There She Goes Again"
Single by The Velvet Underground
from the album The Velvet Underground & Nico
Released
  • March 12, 1967 (1967-03-12) (album)
  • October 1971 (single)
RecordedMay 1966
StudioTTG Studios, Hollywood, California
Genre
Length4:39
LabelVerve
Songwriter(s)Lou Reed
Producer(s)Andy Warhol
Audio sample
"I'm Waiting for the Man"
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The song is about waiting on a streetcorner in Harlem, near the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 125th Street, in New York City and purchasing $26 worth of heroin (equivalent to $211 in 2019), sung from the point of view of the purchaser, who has presumably traveled to Harlem from another part of the city; the "man" in the title is a drug dealer. Along with traditional guitars, bass, and drums, the song also features pounding, percussive rock-and-roll barrelhouse-style piano. It is one of the band's more popular songs, and one of their many compositions featuring drugs as subject matter. After leaving the band in 1970, Lou Reed continued to incorporate it into his solo live performances.

It was released as a single in October 1971 (with "There She Goes Again" on the B-side) credited to "Andy Warhol's Velvet Underground" on MGM Records.[4]

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #159 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[5][6] The song would go on to influence David Bowie in the writing of his 1977 song "'Heroes'".[7]

Alternative versions

Ludlow Street Loft, July 1965
A row of tenements on the Lower East Side

The song was among a set of early songs to be recorded by Lou Reed, John Cale and Sterling Morrison in the band's Ludlow Street loft in Manhattan. This version of the song, free of percussion, has a considerably more folk and even blues influence in style than the album version. It is available on the first disc of the Peel Slowly and See box set.

Scepter Studios, April 1966

Before the final album version of the song was recorded in May 1966, at T.T.G. Studios in Hollywood, a different take was recorded in April 1966 at Scepter Studios in Manhattan. The original Manhattan take is slightly shorter, the piano is less audible and instead of drums, a tambourine is employed. Also of note is that Reed sings "I'm waiting for the man" at the beginning of the song; on the album version, Reed sings "I'm waiting for my man."

Personnel

See also

References
  1. "The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  2. "The Velvet Underground, 'I'm Waiting for the Man' – 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  3. See, for example, 1969: The Velvet Underground Live.
  4. "I'm Waiting for the Man / There She Goes Again by Andy Warhol's Velvet Underground (Single, Garage Rock): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list – Rate Your Music". Rateyourmusic.com. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  5. The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at Rolling Stone (101-200)
  6. I'm Waiting for the Man at Rolling Stone
  7. Buckley, DAvid (2005). Strange Fascination: David Bowie: The Definitive Story (Revised ed.). Virgin Books. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-7535-1002-5. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
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