Songs for Drella

1990 studio album by Lou Reed and John Cale

Songs for Drella

Studio album by

Lou Reed and John Cale

Released| April 11, 1990
Recorded| December 1989 – January 1990
Studio| Sigma Sound, New York City
Genre|

* Art rock
* minimalism

Length| 52:54
Label| Sire
Producer|

* Lou Reed
* John Cale

Lou Reed chronology
| New York
(1989)  | Songs for Drella
(1990)  | Magic and Loss
(1992)

|
|

John Cale chronology
| Words for the Dying
(1989)  | Songs for Drella
(1990)  | Wrong Way Up
(1990)

|
|

Songs for Drella is a 1990 studio album by Lou Reed and John Cale, both formerly of the American rock band the Velvet Underground; it is a song cycle about Andy Warhol,[1] their mentor, who had died following routine surgery in 1987. Drella was a nickname for Warhol coined by Warhol superstar Ondine, a contraction of Dracula and Cinderella, used by Warhol's crowd but never liked by Warhol himself. The song cycle focuses on Warhol's interpersonal relations and experiences, with songs falling roughly into three categories: Warhol's first-person perspective (which makes up the vast majority of the album), third-person narratives chronicling events and affairs, and first-person commentaries on Warhol by Reed and Cale themselves. The songs, in general, address events in their chronological order.

## Recording

[edit]

Lou Reed and John Cale spoke to one another for the first time in years at Warhol's memorial service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York on April 1, 1987. The painter Julian Schnabel suggested they write a memorial piece for Warhol. On January 7 and 8, 1989, Cale and Reed performed an almost-completed Songs for Drella at The Church of St. Anne's in Brooklyn.[2] Still, as Cale was wrapping up Words for the Dying, and Reed had finished and was touring with his New York studio album (both 1989), the project took another year to complete. The first full version (notably with the inclusion of "A Dream" in one performance) was played on November 29–30, and December 2–3 at the Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[3] On December 4–5, 1989, a live performance—without an audience—was filmed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, directed by Ed Lachman, and released on VHS and LaserDisc formats.[4][5] Over the following two months, Reed and Cale proceeded to record the material for the album, which was released on April 11, 1990 by Sire Records.

The album was the pair's first full collaborative record since the Velvet Underground's second studio album White Light/White Heat (1968), and by the end of recording Cale vowed never to work with Reed again due to personal differences; plans to support the album with a tour were shelved. Nevertheless, Songs for Drella would prove to be the prelude to a Velvet Underground reunion: after playing a Drella selection on June 15, 1990, at a Warhol/Velvet Underground exhibition at the Cartier Foundation in Jouy-en-Josas, Reed and Cale were joined onstage by Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker for a rendition of the Velvet Underground song "Heroin",[6] which eventually led to the first and last Velvet Underground reunion, which took place in 1993 (after which Cale and Reed, again, vowed never to work with one another again).

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [7]
Chicago Sun-Times| [8]
Chicago Tribune| [9]
Entertainment Weekly| B−[10]
Los Angeles Times| [11]
NME| 8/10[12]
Q| [13]
Rolling Stone| [14]
Spin| [15]
The Village Voice| A−[16]

Songs for Drella received positive reviews and critical praise upon release. In a four-star review, Rolling Stone writer Paul Evans stated "Both nearing fifty, Reed and Cale are the survivors Warhol wasn't fated to become. In popular music, only bluesmen and country greats have managed the maturity these two display."[14] Spin described Songs for Drella as "a moving testament to one of the '60s most important icons" and named it one of the Top 20 albums of 1990.[17]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Lou Reed and John Cale.

Side ANo.| Title| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Smalltown"| Lou Reed| 2:04
2.| "Open House"| Lou Reed| 4:18
3.| "Style It Takes"| John Cale| 2:54
4.| "Work"| Lou Reed| 2:38
5.| "Trouble with Classicists"| John Cale| 3:42
6.| "Starlight"| Lou Reed| 3:28
7.| "Faces and Names"| John Cale| 4:12

Side BNo.| Title| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|

8.| "Images"| Lou Reed| 3:31
9.| "Slip Away (A Warning)"| Lou Reed| 3:05
10.| "It Wasn't Me"| Lou Reed| 3:30
11.| "I Believe"| Lou Reed| 3:18
12.| "Nobody But You"| Lou Reed| 3:46
13.| "A Dream"| John Cale| 6:33
14.| "Forever Changed"| John Cale| 4:52
15.| "Hello It's Me"| Lou Reed| 3:13
Total length:| 52:54

### Singles

[edit]

* "Nobody But You" b/w "Style It Takes" – 7" Germany 1990
* "Nobody But You"; "Style It Takes" b/w "A Dream" – 12" & CD-single Germany 1990

## Personnel

[edit]

* John Cale – vocals, keyboards, viola
* Lou Reed – vocals, guitar

## Charts

[edit]

Chart performance for Songs for Drella Chart (1990)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] | 100
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[19] | 28
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] | 14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] | 28
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[22] | 42
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[23] | 43
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] | 18
UK Albums (OCC)[25] | 22
US Billboard 200[26] | 103

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Pareles, Jon (December 1, 1989). "Review/Rock; 'Songs for Drella,' A Tribute to Warhol". The New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
2. ^ Fear Is A Man's Best Friend fansite - John Cale setlists 1989: New York 1989-01-08
3. ^ Fear Is A Man's Best Friend fansite - John Cale setlists 1989: New York 1989-11-30
4. ^ Fear Is A Man's Best Friend fansite - John Cale on screen: Songs for Drella video (includes link to full video online)
5. ^ Songs for Drella video at Internet Movie Database
6. ^ Fear Is A Man's Best Friend fansite - John Cale setlists 1990: Jouy-En-Josas 1990-06-15
7. ^ Deming, Mark. "Songs for Drella – Lou Reed / John Cale". AllMusic. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
8. ^ McLeese, Don (April 23, 1990). "'Songs for 'Drella' weave velvet elegy to Warhol's genius". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
9. ^ Kot, Greg (January 12, 1992). "Lou Reed's Recordings: 25 Years Of Path-Breaking Music". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
10. ^ Sandow, Greg (April 27, 1990). "Songs for 'Drella". Entertainment Weekly. New York. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
11. ^ Hochman, Steve (April 24, 1990). "A Moving Remembrance of Andy Warhol". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
12. ^ Martin, Gavin (April 28, 1990). "Drella Killer". NME. London. p. 37\. Archived from the original on June 22, 2000. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
13. ^ Cooper, Mark (May 1990). "Lou Reed and John Cale: Songs for Drella". Q. No. 44\. London.
14. ^ a b Evans, Paul (May 17, 1990). "Songs for Drella". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
15. ^ Marchese, David (November 2008). "Discography: Lou Reed". Spin. Vol. 24, no. 11\. New York. p. 67. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
16. ^ Christgau, Robert (September 25, 1990). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
17. ^ Greer, Jim (December 1990). "Albums of the Year". Spin. Vol. 6, no. 9\. New York. p. 54. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
18. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 232.
19. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Lou Reed & John Cale – Songs for Drella" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lou Reed & John Cale – Songs for Drella" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lou Reed & John Cale – Songs for Drella" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
22. ^ "Charts.nz – Lou Reed & John Cale – Songs for Drella". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
23. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Lou Reed & John Cale – Songs for Drella". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Lou Reed & John Cale – Songs for Drella". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
25. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
26. ^ "Lou Reed Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Songs for Drella at Discogs (list of releases)

* v
* t
* e

Lou Reed

* Discography

Studio albums|

* Lou Reed
* Transformer
* Berlin
* Sally Can't Dance
* Metal Machine Music
* Coney Island Baby
* Rock and Roll Heart
* Street Hassle
* The Bells
* Growing Up in Public
* The Blue Mask
* Legendary Hearts
* New Sensations
* Mistrial
* New York
* Magic and Loss
* Set the Twilight Reeling
* Ecstasy
* The Raven
* Hudson River Wind Meditations

Collaborations|

* Le Bataclan '72 (with John Cale and Nico)
* Songs for Drella (with John Cale)
* The Stone: Issue Three (with John Zorn and Laurie Anderson)
* Lulu (with Metallica)

Live albums|

* Rock 'n' Roll Animal
* Lou Reed Live
* Live: Take No Prisoners
* Live in Italy
* Perfect Night: Live in London
* American Poet
* Animal Serenade
* Berlin: Live At St. Ann's Warehouse
* The Creation of the Universe

Compilations|

* Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed
* Rock and Roll Diary: 1967–1980
* City Lights
* Walk on the Wild Side & Other Hits
* Different Times: Lou Reed in the '70s
* The Best of Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground
* A Retrospective
* Retro
* The Definitive Collection
* The Very Best of Lou Reed
* Legendary Lou Reed
* NYC Man (The Ultimate Collection 1967–2003)
* The Essential Lou Reed

Singles|

* "Walk on the Wild Side"/"Perfect Day"
* "Satellite of Love"
* "Vicious"
* "Sweet Jane"
* "Street Hassle"
* "I Love You, Suzanne"
* "My Red Joystick"
* "High in the City"
* "September Song"
* "The Original Wrapper"
* "No Money Down"
* "Dirty Blvd."

Featured singles|

* "Tranquilize"

Box sets|

* Between Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed Anthology

Related articles|

* The Velvet Underground
* John Cale
* Nico
* Ostrich guitar
* Metal Machine Trio
* Live at Montreux 2000
* Loureedia
* Rock & Rule
* Rachel Humphreys
* Laurie Anderson
* The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed

* v
* t
* e

John Cale

Studio albums|

* Vintage Violence
* Church of Anthrax (with Terry Riley)
* The Academy in Peril
* Paris 1919
* Fear
* Slow Dazzle
* Helen of Troy
* Honi Soit
* Music for a New Society
* Caribbean Sunset
* Artificial Intelligence
* Words for the Dying
* Songs for Drella (with Lou Reed)
* Wrong Way Up (with Brian Eno)
* Last Day on Earth (with Bob Neuwirth)
* Walking on Locusts
* HoboSapiens
* blackAcetate
* Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood
* M:FANS
* Mercy
* Poptical Illusion

Extended plays|

* Animal Justice
* 5 Tracks
* Extra Playful

Live albums|

* June 1, 1974 (with Kevin Ayers, Brian Eno and Nico)
* Sabotage/Live
* John Cale Comes Alive
* Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
* Fragments of a Rainy Season
* Le Bataclan '72 (with Lou Reed and Nico)
* Circus Live
* Live at Rockpalast

Soundtrack albums|

* Paris s'eveille - suivi d'autres compositions
* 23 Solo Pieces for La Naissance de L'Amour
* Eat/Kiss: Music for the Films by Andy Warhol
* Dance Music
* Process

Compilation albums|

* Guts
* Seducing Down the Door: A Collection 1970−1990
* Close Watch: An Introduction to John Cale
* The Island Years
* Gold
* New York in the 1960s: Sun Blindness Music
* Inside the Dream Syndicate, Vol. I: Day of Niagara
* Inside the Dream Syndicate, Vol. II: Dream Interpretation
* Inside the Dream Syndicate, Vol. III: Stainless Gamelan
* Conflict & Catalysis: Productions & Arrangements 1966−2006

Related articles|

* Discography
* Productions
* Filmography
* The Velvet Underground
* Theatre of Eternal Music

* v
* t
* e

The Velvet Underground

* Lou Reed
* John Cale
* Sterling Morrison
* Moe Tucker
* Doug Yule

* Willie Alexander
* Angus MacLise
* Nico
* Walter Powers
* Billy Yule

Studio albums|

* The Velvet Underground & Nico
* White Light/White Heat
* The Velvet Underground
* Loaded
* Squeeze

Live albums|

* Live at Max's Kansas City
* 1969: The Velvet Underground Live
* Live MCMXCIII
* Final V.U. 1971–1973
* Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes
* The Complete Matrix Tapes

Outtakes albums|

* VU
* Another View

Compilations|

* Andy Warhol's Velvet Underground Featuring Nico
* The Best of The Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed
* The Best of Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground
* 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Velvet Underground
* The Very Best of the Velvet Underground
* Gold

Box sets|

* Final V.U. 1971–1973
* Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition)
* Peel Slowly and See
* The Complete Matrix Tapes

Singles|

* "All Tomorrow's Parties" / "I'll Be Your Mirror"
* "Sunday Morning" / "Femme Fatale"
* "White Light/White Heat" / "Here She Comes Now"
* "What Goes On"
* "Sweet Jane" / "Rock & Roll"
* "I'm Waiting for the Man" / "There She Goes Again"
* "Venus in Furs"

Other songs|

* "After Hours"
* "Andy's Chest"
* "Candy Says"
* "European Son"
* "Heroin"
* "I Heard Her Call My Name"
* "Lady Godiva's Operation"
* "New Age"
* "Pale Blue Eyes"
* "Run Run Run"
* "Sister Ray"
* "Stephanie Says"
* "The Black Angel's Death Song"
* "The Gift"

Tribute albums|

* Heaven & Hell
* Fifteen Minutes
* I'll Be Your Mirror

Films|

* The Velvet Underground and Nico: A Symphony of Sound
* The Velvet Underground (2021 film)

Related articles|

| Articles|

* Discography
* Songs
* Exploding Plastic Inevitable
* Ostrich guitar
* The Factory
* Max's Kansas City

|

People|

* Walter De Maria
* Steve Sesnick
* Andy Warhol
* Tom Wilson

Music|

* Songs for Drella
* Le Bataclan '72

* v
* t
* e

Andy Warhol

Artworks|

* 129 Die in Jet! (1962)
* Campbell's Soup Cans (1962)
* Coca-Cola (3) (1962)
* Coca-Cola (4) (1962)
* Marilyn Diptych (1962)
* Men in Her Life (1962)
* 3 Coke Bottles (1962)
* Gold Marilyn Monroe (1962)
* Green Coca-Cola Bottles (1962)
* Eight Elvises (1963)
* Colored Mona Lisa (1963)
* Ethel Scull 36 Times (1963)
* Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) (1963)
* Green Car Crash (1963)
* Triple Elvis (1963)
* Suicide (Purple Jumping Man) (1963)
* Thirteen Most Wanted Men (1964)
* Shot Marilyns (1964)
* Race Riot (1964)
* Exploding Plastic Inevitable (1966)
* Cow Wallpaper (1966)
* Big Electric Chair (1967)
* Marilyn Monroe portfolio (1967)
* Campbell's Soup I (1968)
* Campbell's Soup Cans II (1969)
* Vote McGovern (1972)
* Ladies and Gentlemen (1975)
* Athletes (1977)
* Shadows (1978-79)
* Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century (1980)
* Crosses (1981)
* Jean-Michel Basquiat  (1982)
* Magazine and History (1983)
* Speed Skater (1983)
* Orange Prince (1984)
* Olympics (1984)
* Taxi, 45th/Broadway (1984-85)
* The Last Supper (1984-86)
* Zenith (1985)
* Portrait of Seymour H. Knox (1985)
* Reigning Queens (1985)
* Camouflage Self-Portrait (1986)
* Cars (1986)

Films|

* Sleep (1964)
* Kiss (1964)
* Eat (1964)
* Blow Job (1964)
* Batman Dracula (1964)
* Soap Opera (1964)
* Couch (1964)
* Taylor Mead's Ass (1964)
* Henry Geldzahler (1964)
* Harlot (1964)
* Screen Tests (1964–66)
* Empire (1965)
* Vinyl (1965)
* Horse (1965)
* Space (1965)
* Camp (1965)
* Poor Little Rich Girl (1965)
* Beauty No. 1 (1965)
* Beauty No. 2 (1965)
* More Milk, Yvette (1965)
* The Life of Juanita Castro (1965)
* My Hustler (1965)
* Kitchen (1966)
* Eating Too Fast (1966)
* The Velvet Underground and Nico: A Symphony of Sound (1966)
* Salvador Dalí (1966)
* Chelsea Girls (1966)
* Since (1966)
* The Andy Warhol Story (1966)
* I, a Man (1967)
* Bike Boy (1967)
* Four Stars**** (1967)
* Imitation of Christ (1967)
* Tub Girls (1967)
* The Nude Restaurant (1967)
* Lonesome Cowboys (1968)
* San Diego Surf (1968)
* Flesh (1968)
* Blue Movie (1969)
* Trash (1970)
* Women in Revolt (1971)
* Heat (1972)
* L'Amour (1972)
* Flesh for Frankenstein (1973)
* Blood for Dracula (1974)
* Bad (1977)

Books|

* 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy (1954)
* a, A Novel (1968)
* Blue Movie (1970)
* The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (1975)
* Exposures (1979)
* POPism: The Warhol '60s (1980)
* The Andy Warhol Diaries (1989)

Media|

* Andy Warhol's Pork (1971)
* Interview
* You Are the One (1985)
* Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes (1985-87)
* "Misfit" (1986)

Museums|

* The Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburgh)
* Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art (Medzilaborce)

Depictions|

* "Andy Warhol" (1971)
* Dos Cabezas (1982)
* Andy Mouse (1986)
* Songs for Drella (1990)
* Basquiat (1996)
* I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)
* Factory Girl (2006)
* Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film (2006)
* Warhol (2020)
* The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022)

Family|

* Julia Warhola (mother)
* John Warhola (brother)
* James Warhola (nephew)
* Jed Johnson (partner)
* Archie Warhol (pet dog)

Related|

* The Factory
* Factory Additions
* The Druds
* The Velvet Underground
* Warhol Superstars
* New Andy Warhol Garrick Theatre
* 55th Street Playhouse
* Eothen
* Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board
* The Autobiography and Sex Life of Andy Warhol (1971)
* Absolut Warhola  (2001)
* Brillo Box (3 ¢ Off) (2016)
* Andy Warhol Bridge
* "15 minutes of fame"

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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