She’s utterly unprepared to be seen at the party. She will simply hide “behind the door”  and cry.

The Velvet Underground – “All Tomorrow’s Parties”

“All Tomorrow’s Parties” (1967)

This Lou Reed song appeared on the 1967 debut album of Reed’s band The Velvet Underground. It was sung by the German chanteuse Nico in her cool, detached style. Journalist Richard Goldstein described Nico as “half goddess, half icicle.” 

Party at the Factory 

While band member John Cale said that “All Tomorrow’s Parties”  is about a particular acquaintance of the band members, Reed has stated that it was inspired by several characters who hung around Andy Warhol’s Factory in the mid-1960s.  

A Ragged Doll

Regardless of the inspiration, the song tells the tale of a sad young lady who hopes to appear sophisticated and beautiful when she attends parties, but who has nothing to wear except for “a hand-me-down gown of rags.”    

To make matters worse, she has no idea of how to comport herself when at the party. She will feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. She won’t know what to say or how to act.

She’s utterly unprepared to be seen at any party. All she will be able to do is hide “behind the door”  and cry. And later, she’ll return home alone and cry some more.   _{(Image source)} “All Tomorrow’s Parties”  was apparently Andy Warhol’s favorite Velvets song. Also, the writer William Gibson used it as the title of one of his novels.

The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground was a US band formed by Lou Reed and John Cale in the mid-1960s. While essentially a rock band, it leaned strongly toward avant-garde and experimental work, in terms of both music and subject matter.   

Soon after its inception, the band was introduced to pop artist Andy Warhol, who started managing the band. The Velvets toured with Warhol’s multimedia show “Exploding Plastic Inevitable.” 

Belated Fame

Led by Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground remained active until 1970, but gained neither fame nor fortune. By the mid-1970s, however, a new brood of punk and new wave bands and their followers were listening to the Velvets’ music.

By 1980, the Velvet Underground had become one of the most influential groups in the history of rock. Much belatedly.   _{(Image source)}

On “Rolling Stone”  magazine’s 2004 list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time,”  The Velvet Undergound ranked at Number 19. 

In 1996, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

And what costume shall the poor girl wear
To all tomorrow's parties
A hand-me-down dress from who knows where
To all tomorrow's parties
And where will she go, and what shall she do
When midnight comes around
She'll turn once more to Sunday's clown
And cry behind the door

And what costume shall the poor girl wear
To all tomorrow's parties
Why silks and linens of yesterday's gowns
To all tomorrow's parties
And what will she do with Thursday's rags
When Monday comes around
She'll turn once more to Sunday's clown
And cry behind the door

And what costume shall the poor girl wear
To all tomorrow's parties
For Thursday's child is Sunday's clown
For whom none will go mourning
A blackened shroud, a hand-me-down gown
Of rags and silks, a costume
Fit for one who sits and cries
For all tomorrow's parties   _{(Image source)}
Lyrics by Lou Reed, courtesy of – AZLyrics.com
Reference – Wikipedia
Reference – Wikipedia
Reference – Wikipedia
Reference – SongMeanings.com
Reference – SongFacts.com

Into your ears … through 5 channels

 The various posts are categorized into 5 channels _{(Right-Click to see details)}
         1 – “Music to Your Ears” (MTYE)
         2 – “Cover Versions”
         3 – “Honor Roll”
         4 – “Documentaries”
         5 – “Mock’n’Roll”

More “Music to Your Ears” ...

          Previous posts in this series – "MTYE posts 1–20"
          Previous posts in this series – "MTYE posts 21–40"

Links to my other series ...

          Lou Reed – "Anthology of Memorable Lyrics, Part 1"
          Lou Reed – "Anthology of Memorable Lyrics, Part 2"

          Great Lyrics, a compilation – “Part One – My Lyrics Posts 3~30”
          Great Lyrics, a compilation – “Part Two – My Lyrics Posts 31~60”  

          Vocab-Ability – "Introduction to Vocab-Ability"  
          Vocab-Ability – "Index"  to all Chapters and Sections  

          Notes from Under the Tatami Mats – "Part One – Notes 1~50"  
          Notes from Under the Tatami Mats – "Part Two – Notes 51~87"