Editing The Velvet Underground & Nico (section)

==Music and lyrics==
{{listen
| filename    = TheVelvetUndergroundI'mWaitingForTheMan.ogg
| title       = "I'm Waiting for the Man"
| description = The second track of ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. The percussive, "[[Boogie-woogie|barrelhouse]]"-style piano is heard behind Lou Reed's descriptive lyrics. This sample contains the first verse.
| format      = [[Ogg]]}}
{{listen
| filename    = TheVelvetUndergroundVenusInFurs.ogg|
| title       = "Venus in Furs"|
| description = The fourth track from ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. The [[drone music|droning]] electric viola accompanies the "[[ostrich guitar|ostrich"-tuned guitar]]. This sample contains the second verse.
| format      = [[Ogg]]}}

===Themes===
''The Velvet Underground & Nico'' was notable for its overt descriptions of topics such as [[drug abuse]], [[prostitution]], [[Sadomasochism|sadism and masochism]] and [[paraphilia|sexual deviancy]]. "[[I'm Waiting for the Man]]" describes a protagonist's efforts to obtain [[heroin]],<ref name="waiting">{{cite magazine |title=The Velvet Underground, 'I'm Waiting for the Man' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/the-velvet-underground-im-waiting-for-the-man-20110526 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=April 7, 2011 |access-date=September 11, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912011446/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/the-velvet-underground-im-waiting-for-the-man-20110526|archive-date=September 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Sounes|2015|pp=40–41}}</ref> while "[[Venus in Furs (song)|Venus in Furs]]" is a nearly literal interpretation of [[Venus in Furs|the 19th century novel of the same name]] (which itself prominently features accounts of [[BDSM]]).<ref>{{harvnb|Sounes|2015|pp=41–43}}</ref> "[[Heroin (The Velvet Underground song)|Heroin]]" details an individual's use of the drug and the experience of feeling its effects.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/heroin-mt0009688252 |title=Heroin&nbsp;- The Velvet Underground {{!}} Song Info |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=August 18, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819024156/http://www.allmusic.com/song/heroin-mt0009688252 |archive-date=August 19, 2017}}</ref>

[[Lou Reed]], who wrote the majority of the album's lyrics, never intended to write about such topics for shock value. Reed, a fan of poets and authors such as [[Raymond Chandler]], [[Nelson Algren]], [[William S. Burroughs]], [[Allen Ginsberg]], and [[Hubert Selby, Jr.]], saw no reason the content in their works could not translate well to [[rock and roll]] music. An English major who studied for a [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] at [[Syracuse University]], Reed said in an interview that he thought joining the two (gritty subject matter and music) was "obvious".<ref name="Bockris-Malanga"/> "That's the kind of stuff you might read. Why wouldn't you listen to it? You have the fun of reading that, and you get the fun of rock on top of it."<ref name="Bockris-Malanga"/>

Though the album's dark subject matter is today considered revolutionary,<ref name="Heylin"/> several of the album's songs are centered on themes more typical of popular music. Certain songs were written by Reed as observations of the members of Andy Warhol's "[[The Factory|Factory]] [[Warhol superstars|superstars]]". "[[Femme Fatale (The Velvet Underground song)|Femme Fatale]]" in particular was written about [[Edie Sedgwick]] at Warhol's request. "[[I'll Be Your Mirror]]", inspired by [[Nico]],<ref name="Bockris1994">{{harvnb|Bockris|1994|pp=106, 135}}</ref> is a tender and affectionate song; in stark contrast to a song like "Heroin". A common misperception is that "[[All Tomorrow's Parties]]" was written by Reed at Warhol's request (as stated in [[Victor Bockris]] and [[Gerard Malanga]]'s Velvet Underground biography ''Up-Tight: The Velvet Underground Story''). While the song does seem to be another observation of Factory denizens, Reed wrote the song before meeting Warhol, having recorded a demo in July 1965 at Ludlow Street.<ref name="wilcox"/>

===Instrumentation and performance===
{{listen
| filename    = TheVelvetUndergroundHeroin.ogg
| title       = "Heroin"
| pos         = left
| description = The seventh track from ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. As the song nears its final crescendo, the percussion quickens and the electric viola produces feedback.
| format      = [[Ogg]]}}
''The Velvet Underground & Nico'' has generally been described by writers as [[art rock]],<ref name="Clash">{{cite news |date=December 11, 2009 |url=http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/classic-albums-the-velvet-undergrond-and-nico |title=Classic Albums: The Velvet Underground&nbsp;– The Velvet Underground & Nico |newspaper=[[Clash Music]] |quote=...{{nbsp}}the original art-rock record{{nbsp}}...|access-date=March 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402112235/http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/classic-albums-the-velvet-undergrond-and-nico |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=DeRogatis |first=Jim |author-link=Jim DeRogatis |date=February 14, 2003a |title=Gettin' Your Groove On |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |page=26 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F947E0EE045091C&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |quote=...{{nbsp}}this enduring art-rock masterpiece{{nbsp}}... |access-date=August 1, 2013 |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006155610/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F947E0EE045091C&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |url-status=live }}</ref> [[experimental rock]],<ref name="Magnet">{{cite web |last=Amorisi |first=A.D. |date=May 15, 2018 |title=ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC: THE VELVET UNDERGROUND'S "THE VELVET UNDERGROUND" |url=http://magnetmagazine.com/2018/05/15/essential-new-music-velvet-undergrounds-velvet-underground/ |website=[[Magnet (magazine)|Magnet]] |access-date=20 April 2019 |quote=Lou Reed and John Cale's now-canonical, dry-icy, holy-terror take on then-experimental rock |archive-date=April 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420144949/http://magnetmagazine.com/2018/05/15/essential-new-music-velvet-undergrounds-velvet-underground/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[proto-punk]],<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.spin.com/2011/08/listen-feist-friends-cover-velvet-underground/ |title=Listen: Feist & Friends Cover Velvet Underground |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |date=August 16, 2011 |access-date=October 6, 2013 |author=Goodman, William |url-status=live |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191322/https://www.spin.com/2011/08/listen-feist-friends-cover-velvet-underground/}}</ref> [[psychedelic rock]],<ref>{{harvnb|DeRogatis|2003|p=79}}</ref> [[avant-pop]], <ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hermes |first=Will |title=The Complete Matrix Tapes |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/the-complete-matrix-tapes-204441/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=December 8, 2015 |access-date=31 July 2020 |archive-date=October 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026125904/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/the-complete-matrix-tapes-204441/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[garage rock]]<ref>{{Citation |title=The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Und... {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-velvet-underground-nico-mw0001955423 |access-date=2025-05-19 |language=en}}</ref>. Much of the album's sound was conceived by [[John Cale]], who stressed the experimental qualities of the band. He was influenced greatly by his work with [[Minimal music|minimalist]] composer [[La Monte Young]], [[John Cage]] and the early [[Fluxus]] movement, and encouraged the use of alternative ways of producing sound in music. Cale thought his sensibilities meshed well with Lou Reed's, who was already experimenting with alternate tunings. For instance, Reed had "invented" the [[ostrich guitar]] tuning for a song he wrote called "The Ostrich" for the short-lived band the Primitives. Ostrich guitar tuning consists of all strings being tuned to the same note. This method was utilized on the songs "Venus in Furs" and "All Tomorrow's Parties". Often, the guitars were also tuned down a whole step, which produced a lower, fuller sound that Cale considered "sexy".{{sfn|Harvard|2004}}

Cale performed on the viola on several of the album's songs, notably "Venus in Furs" and "The Black Angel's Death Song". The viola used guitar and mandolin strings, and when played loudly, Cale would liken its brash sound to that of an airplane engine.<ref name="Heylin"/> Cale's technique usually involved minimalist [[Drone music|drones]], [[Musical tuning|detuning]] for an eerie, surreal effect, and [[Distortion (music)|distortion]] to highlight harmonics and transform the instrument's sound.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=John Cale on The Velvet Underground & Nico |url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/john-cale-on-the-velvet-underground-nico-30063 |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |first=Tom |last=Pinnock |date=September 28, 2012 |access-date=August 18, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-date=August 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814145221/http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/john-cale-on-the-velvet-underground-nico-30063}}</ref> According to [[Robert Christgau]], the "narcotic drone" not only sustains the [[sadomasochism]]-themed "Venus in Furs", but it also "identifies and unifies the [album] musically". Of the vocal performances, he believed "Nico's contained [[wikt:chanteuse|chantoozy]] sexuality" complemented "the dispassionate abandon of Reed's chant singing".<ref name="Christgau"/>  In 1966, [[Richard Goldstein (writer born 1944)|Richard Goldstein]] described Nico's vocal as "something like a cello getting up in the morning".<ref>Ulf Lindberg et al. ''Rock Criticism from the Beginning: Amusers, Bruisers, and Cool-headed Cruisers.'' Peter Lang, 2005. p. 115. {{ISBN|9780820474908}}</ref>

Tucker's style of drumming on the album involved her playing standing up rather than sitting down, playing bass drums and tambourines on their sides with a drumstick in her left hand and a mallet in her right hand, resulting in "a mix of [[Rhythm in Sub-Saharan Africa|African trance rhythms]] and [[Ringo Starr|Ringo]]-like arrangement genius" according to Adam Budofsky of ''[[Modern Drummer]]''.<ref name="moderndrummer">{{cite magazine |title=Drumming With the Velvet Underground, Part 2: Maureen Tucker |url=https://www.moderndrummer.com/2005/07/maureen-tucker/ |magazine=[[Modern Drummer]] |first=Adam |last=Budofsky |date=October 28, 2013}}</ref> The band's initial percussionist and ex-member, [[Angus MacLise]], had informed Tucker's style and influenced her into playing "pounding" rhythms that fit with, in her words, "the ominous mood" of several of the album's songs.<ref name="moderndrummer" />