FIRST TIME Hearing Lou Reed - Walk On The Wild Side || What In The World Is Going On?!

[@rachelbrachman1510]

These are real people Lou met at Andy Warhol's parties.

[@d.l.607]

Young people in 2025 are SHOCKED by the stuff that was playing on the radio in the 70's 🤣

[@threekidzmom04]

@@d.l.607 and look at what they listen to.

[@carolburnett190]

I started giggling as soon as I saw the thumbnail! Now, I can’t believe this managed to get by the gatekeepers back in the 70s. Back then, it was just cool! I’m still smiling…

[@IggyStardust1967]

Those gatekeepers as you call them, completely missed the line "Don't give me none of that do goody good bullshit" from Pink Floyd's "Money" until about a decade ago..... let's just say that prior to the PMRC getting the fuses on their tampons lit, music wasn't gone over with a fine tooth comb. Even after they got their "warning label" that had the opposite effect they had intended, music still wasn't monitored too heavily for those quick and subtle references.

[@IDriveAnAudi]

@@carolburnett190 There wasn’t a lot of gatekeeping other than maybe folks complaining to their local radio stations en-masse prior to the RIAA responding to parental rights groups in 1985 and implementing parental guidance ratings on record albums.

[@carolburnett190]

@ Yeah, the majority of the issues were when Tipper Gore decided to get involved.

[@chipurBillWhite]

It was a wild time. Reed, Bowie, New York Dolls. They were all doin’ it Fun reaction, man. Ty…

[@jadedmama1]

Welcome to the 70s. It was a whole different world back then. Loved your reaction... hilarious! Good times

[@KarinStrong-k4j]

He’s describing “the scene” in NYC during the 70s.

[@noplacelikehomecrochet5335]

People didn’t get offended as much in the 70’s. The 70’s was one of a kind! We had a lot of fun in those days! 😂😅❤

[@threekidzmom04]

oh yes we did~~~

[@dinodasbunce6224]

@@threekidzmom04 Oh no we didn't.

[@janishope8559]

To be honest, some of us were just too naive to know what he meant back then!

[@threekidzmom04]

@ that is the absolute truth!

[@Grateful_Dad_54]

Bass player is Herbie Flowers, who also played bass and had an awesome intro on Nilsson's hit "Jump Into the Fire"! Herbie just passed in September, 2024. RIP!

[@denisemartin3798]

Omg! My side hurts from laughing!! The look on your face was priceless 😂😅

[@M_J_Hammer]

I was a young teen in the UK when I heard this fantastic album. We didn't bat an eyelid back then about things that people these days freak out about. Probably thanks to the likes of David Bowie, Roxy Music and other glam rock bands who opened our minds to alternative ways of looking at the world. Bowie and Mick Ronson produced and performed on the album. 'Perfect Day' and 'Satellite of love' are two outstanding tracks. 'Heroin' by Lou Reed with the Velvet Underground is an intense experience, way ahead of its time (released in 1967!) Cheers

[@snakeinthegrass7443]

🤣🤣🤣And these were the people teaching kids like me in the 70s!! We were singing Aquarius in class all the time. Our art teacher was out there, man!

[@Bekka_Noyb]

always funny seeing peeps 1st time hearing this! 😊 *giggles* 😃

[@threekidzmom04]

oh yes! heeheehee

[@monaboutet6863]

😂😂😂 loved this song when it first came out and it's a blast watching first reactions!!

[@kevinmarshall854]

Lou Reed got known from the band "Velvet Underground ". He passed away in 2013.

[@3ScotsInk]

Lou was one of a kind, and the 70’s were an anything goes decade. Your reaction lifted my spirits. To say the least.🤣 Thanks!

[@redmaynard]

What I love about your channel is that it constantly reminds me of songs that I haven't heard in a while, and I'm enjoying them all over again.

[@StuartBearden]

Welcome to the 70's it was wild being a teenager 😅

[@SharonStott-m9o]

It was proper to say coloured rather than black at the time.

[@jimglenn6972]

It was old-persons talk at the time. My parents would use “Black” but my Grandparents would used “Colored”.

[@snakeinthegrass7443]

@@jimglenn6972 The NAACP still uses the term in their name, so it's not just old-persons' talk

[@TheOnespeedbiker]

The song is about Andy Worhal genre, his films and entourage during the middle 1960s in NY; included the likes of David Bowie and Mick Jagger. It was a time when homosexuality, transgenderism and androgyny were en Vogue (and of course it was the 60s so drug use was rampant). Also as mentioned Andy Worhal co-produced Lou Reeds band at the time, The Velvet Underground. The characters in the songs in order of appearance are "Holly" Woodlawn a Warhol films trans actress "Candy Darling" another Warhol films trans actress "Little Joe" Dallessandro, a Warhol films gay actor "Sugar Plum Fairy", a character in Warhol's first film, My Husler (1965), played by Joe Campbell "Jackie" Curtis" a Warhol films trans actress and writer.

[@jimmywilmore1881]

Saw the thumbnail and knew I HAD to watch this one! Deep dive into Lou Reed!!!!!!

[@in8hope617]

Great song...This was the kind of music that was on the radio every day, and it is so great to hear it again..and have you enjoy it too!

[@in8hope617]

As a kid, I just loved the hook...didn't have a clue about the words or their meaning:)

[@in8hope617]

and this was 1972!!!!

[@Stevecontini]

Hey what’s up my friend I was Meso before but this is my name n profile man glad u found Lou I had an album of his in the 70s called rock n roll animal he was like a Bowie protege I think his music was super cool ! Thnx n be safe brother ! 🤟🏻🤟🏻🤟🏻🎸🎸🎸

[@jbentz1966]

Lol great tune! Love your reaction to this!!😂🎉

[@jimmywilmore1881]

And YES this was played on the radio. Check out Velvet Underground! Love you took a walk on the wild side!❤️

[@3ScotsInk]

Saw Lou live, Memphis 1973. We stormed the stage when he came on, like we always did, and I was one of the first there and was getting crushed by the surge of kids behind me. Lou saw what was happening, reached down and pulled me onto the stage at his feet, where I stayed for the whole show. Might have saved my life that night. He was in one of his depressive periods, barely moved. My only task was dodging all the cigarettes he dropped as he smoked them. I still have one of his burnt matches. Not that I was or still am a fan boy or anything.😂 Another great reaction Steven.

[@okieranchwife]

I found this info from a poster on a different Lou Reed video. "Andy Warhol’s Factory family and film stars. Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling, Jackie Curtis, stunning Joe Dellasandro. Lou Reed was in Andy’s Velvet Underground. Only Dellasandro is still alive. His later-in-life wife was Laurie Anderson: check out her entire album Mr. Heartbreak."

[@amauryegazarain3890]

One of the pioneers of Punk!

[@yankeesmegw]

Classic! Lou is fantastic!

[@ThursdayNext67]

Lou Reed's widow, Laurie Anderson, is a unique musical experience of her own. Her best known song/performance is 'O Superman'

[@edge4guy]

Love the synth on "Big Science"

[@IDriveAnAudi]

Yes, this was a huge radio hit when I was a kid and some of it wasn't particularly socially acceptable. But that was before we started freaking out about social norms and hurting people's feelings too easily.

[@JohnPaul-hm2ys]

Lou was iconic. I know Joe (Dallesandro) from the song, but haven't spoken in several years. Although he is my senior, we had mutual friends in NYC and worked with the same body artists and photographers over the years. In 2013, we reconnected at OCMA at an exhibit that included both of our images.

[@gkiferonhs]

Imagine how upset our parents were when this came on the radio.

[@boroblueyes]

Steven, you're hilarious. "Satellite of Love" "I Wanna be Black" "Sweet Jane" Lou Reed Live is a certified Banger. Keep the hits comin'.

[@Pahdopony]

Don’t forget Vicious…

[@3ScotsInk]

Herbie Flowers on iconic bass. RIP Herbie 9/5/24.

[@matthewdrake4385]

Lou was in a group in the 60s called the velvet underground. Artist and film director Andy Warhol pretty much discovered them in New york. The underground had a pretty unique sound and style for its time, was pretty popular with more of the art scene and gained more of a cult following compared to what was played on radio.

[@michaeltaylor8835]

Lou is an icon

[@clivemetcalfe2304]

Upright bass and electric bass in harmony. The late, great Herbie Flowers.

[@pillmuncher67]

I didn't even know he'd passed away. I'm sad now.

[@donalddixoninlou]

Hee hee hee, bet you really get a kick outta this one.....Your reaction was priceless.

[@marybreiner5]

You have to remember, we were coming from the free love of the sixties. We accepted everyone. We didn't judge. All of these folks he is singing about are real people he met through Andy Warhol.

[@SherrySchumacher-bq5zo]

Bahahaha 😂😂😂, love your reactions to these. Makes my day every time!! Let's go!! 😅

[@in8hope617]

It was not an insult...the colored girls were just who they were...no disrespect...And remember that most people that love this song just love the music...and the vibe!!! (1972 mister!)

[@in8hope617]

The hook...Dododododododododo is stellar...and this song definately got past the censors...I don't even know if there were censors then, just artists!

[@Bekka_Noyb]

yeah this! different times!

[@suecook1326]

Supposedly the Colored Girl part was a homage to backup singers. The other people were Andy Warhol's hangers on. Colored girls statement was fine back then. It wasn't until the Black Panthers became more militant and started demanding to be called black instead of colored. I distinctly remember when the complaints about lyrics came up, it always started with people complaining to radio stations. Then Congress got involved!

[@RobONeill-b5e]

The album was produced by David Bowie who also co-wrote some of the songs

[@christopherlamb7250]

That was awesome you were great i have not so hard for a while thank you lol

[@jonnajois]

"Coloured" was the appropiate term by that time. Black wasn't used att all. Coloured replaced the n-word.

[@spottedturtle9455]

NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was founded back in 1909 and still a very viable organization today

[@BillVoss-u2j]

The VU song Rock & Roll is a classic worth listening to ❤🎉😊

[@thatboy3]

Check out Reed's "Heroin" and "Romeo and Juliet."

[@jamesdamiano8894]

Lou is pretty deep rabbit hole, between his solo work and The Velvet Underground. He has some absolute bangers. His album, New York is a great album with some scathing commentary on the city, world and celebrity. Some great songs you would enjoy are Hooky Wooky, Mama’s Got A Lover, Starman, Halloween Parade, Good Morning Mr. Waldheim, Pale Blue Eyes, and My Friend George.

[@Harvestersz]

One thing is for sure: After hearing this song for the first time, you then go through the rest of your life spontaneously singing 'Doo, do-doo, do-doo, do-do-doo.' :-}

[@gtjacobs]

The bit about "colored girls" is a call-out. In the music industry, so many stars were using backing vocals from black women to add that soulful feeling to their music, but keeping them in the background, a footnote on the record sleeve. He mocks that, by saying "the colored girls say 'doot doo-doot...'", and then his backing singers (who are actually white girls) come in, sing it with feeling, and get faded UP in the mix until they're louder than any of his vocals. It's a call-out and a tribute. Lou was one cool cat.

[@snakeinthegrass7443]

If he wanted to give them a shout out, wouldn't he want them to make some money singing on the song? I didn't know the girls were white.

[@d.t.r.8036]

Damn, I've never really listened to the words of the stanzas before...wow!

[@KeefM]

It was perfectly acceptable to say coloured people in the 70s. Stevie Wonder used the phrase in Living For The City. David Bowie produced this whole album

[@MusicLover-dt7ic]

This will be epic reaction to this one lol...Enjoy this legendary song.

[@jeffreyflint6286]

Things were so different back then. I had forgotten about this freaky track lol.

[@bobdelp2023]

I GUESS WE WERE KINDA WILD IN THE 70'S STEVEN, I CAN'T ARGUE WITH THAT! 💯😊

[@jeffreycaldwell8579]

You need to watch the video because it shows all of the people that's named in the song...

[@threekidzmom04]

good to know Thanks

[@corvus1374]

Little Joe (D'Alessandro) was an actor and part of the Warhol culture.

[@jamessugg7061]

😂Whoever suggested that is on the floor rolling around laughing their ass off! About the colored girl, we weren't so sensitive about race back then. Music brought us all together. This is THE definition of a reaction video! 😆 Let's Go!!!

[@jamesbarrie2458]

I do remember this from my younger days, but i never really listened to the lyrics before, great tune anyway. People are so easily offended these days but not so much back in the 70s.

[@pillmuncher67]

The Song is about these real life people, all of them so-called Warhol Superstars: Holly Woodlawn (1946-2015), trans icon Candy Darling (1944-1974), trans icon. Joe Dallesandro (1948-), actor. Joe Campbell ("Sugar Plum Fairy"), actor. Jackie Curtis (1947-1985), actor, singer playwright, trans icon. Being a regular at Warhol's Factory and one pf Warhol's protégés, he knew all of them personally. BTW: Calling black female background singers "colored girls" wasn't politically correct even then. Lou was a master of sarcastic humor. Especially since the singers of the doo-do-doo were pale English women.

[@lipby]

Watch the version of this video that shows the actual people. They were all famous in the art world.

[@MusicLover-dt7ic]

This was no disrespect to the colored girls...if you look at most of the bands back in the day, their backup singers were people of color, Elvis demanded they be included in his shows and that in the long run helped unite everyone and it showed music brought us together in good ways. In my opinion they have the best harmonies because most had church choir backgrounds and were amazing singers.

[@basilblackwell9332]

The entire Transformer LP is well worth a listen, My favourite tracks are Vicious, Satellite of Love and Perfect Day. Side note: it was produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson (his guitarist and musical associate).

[@ellenbakker-w8x]

I can hardly estimate your age.And you don,t have to mention it, but I'm surprised that you've never heard of so many songs. Also because you are so into music. Thanks for this reaction. I love this song very much.

[@martinalloway6980]

This is one of the most perfect songs ever recorded. Was Bowie the producer?

[@DrStrangelove3891]

Him and Mick Ronson.

[@mikeeckel2807]

I was surprised that the reference to oral sex snuck by the censors on the radio way-back-when... and it still does!

[@timoneill6931]

Bro…”Domen’ people up”🤣

[@kidpoker007]

My brother had this album in the 70's...I;m like 15 yrs old and I'm thinking this guy doesn't sing he talks

[@chrisBrown58]

Reed came out of the Velvet Underground, that formed early sixties. Where Dylan's roots were Folk and Country, Velvet Underground came out of the New York Art scene.

[@steveullrich7737]

They threw you a curve ball but you handled it perfectly! The music composition is fantastic and nothing like it.

[@88pjtink]

And our very young ears heard all of this on the radio in the old days, and what we didn't understand simply went right over our heads. That's why censorship in general is silliness.

[@88pjtink]

And "colored" was actually an acceptable term back in the 50's and 60's. It was "black" that was offensive....and then it had to be African Americans. Times and acceptable language changes fairly rapidly.

[@andrewwright9378]

It’s two basses. An upright and a regular (doing a higher octave)

[@manwithumbrella]

MAny of your questions about the tune can be answered by reading the Wikipedia article linked below. The characters in the song are based on real people that Lou Reed knew in NYC in the 1960s. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_on_the_Wild_Side_(Lou_Reed_song)

[@brianmiller616]

😂😂😂😂 love to hear you laugh

[@proudarmymom8657]

OK for a really crazy video and song you gotta check out “Surfin Bird” by the Trashmen

[@sonsofthunder915]

Andy Warhol's factor film stars. Candy Darling. Jackie Curtis, Holly Woodlawn, Joe Dallesandro, Look them up. Are you shocked by the lyrics ? Keep in mind, this song was played on a few progressive rock stations over 50 years ago in 1972.

[@lynnieiapichino1121]

☮️💙💙💙🔥🔥😎when I was very little, we were told in school to say “colored”, 60s

[@williamii3108]

If you haven't seen it (and from your reaction I assume you haven't) you really need to watch the Oscar-winning documentary '20 feet from stardom' - about some prolific back-up singers. The documentary starts off with this song, and the 'coloured girls' line. Actually, anyone reacting to songs of the era really should watch '20 feet'.

[@erickvermeulen9734]

His song Perfect Day is worth a listen, maybe there is a good live version of it.

[@gesundheit602]

These were real people he was talking about- Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling, Joe Dallesandro, Jackie Curtis and Joe Campbell ("Sugar Plum Fairy"), who were all regulars at Andy Warhol's New York studio. 🙂 Btw, David Bowie and Mick Ronson produced this.

[@michaelcoleman6228]

Theirs another song, same title released in 1968 by Brooke Benton. It was the theme for the Lawrence Harvey movie Walk on the wild side. It's G rated so you might prefer it. It's almost a gospel song.

[@alanberesford7900]

Next you should listen to chuck berry my ding a ling.

[@SharonStott-m9o]

Off the album Transformer

[@RockinMamaT]

Let's Gooo! As soon as I saw the thumbnail I laughed 😅 We sure had some doozies back in the day 😂Please check out Tragically Hip New Orleans is sinking studio version please 🙏 Great reaction and Peace out Steven 🙏 ☮️ ✌️BTW the background singers were usually black girls 😊 Doo wap girls 😊

[@IggyStardust1967]

Steven, I don't know what you actually do in your studio (meaning, your particular job(s))... but I certainly hope you are "taking notes" on all of the things you're seeing/hearing in this music you're discovering that isn't being done anymore. You could start a musical "reboot" as it were, and bring some of that stuff back if you have any influence to do so. You really seem to be enjoying all this, and I'm happy to see it.

[@IggyStardust1967]

OH! And just to put it out there..... I was a child in the 70s.... turned 13 in 1980.... and us kids used to sing these songs not having much of a clue what it all meant, and none of the adults would dare talk to us about it. It was indeed a "wild time" back then, and a different world so to speak. But, as I like to tell younger people: "It was the 70s.... just accept that fact."

[@dbradx]

Terrific choice, definitely one of the most unique songs ever, and a hell of a groove. For something a little more recent, you should definitely check out 'Dirty Boulevard' from his 'New York' album, an absolute banger of a tune. Great reaction as always, peace and love from Canada ☮

[@mucksmith3569]

We didn’t have the phrase “keeping it real” in the ‘70’s. We had Lou Reed. You think this is bad, try “Street Hassle.” Springsteen sings the last verse in this haunting epic saga of drug abuse and sex. I think it was 1978. The album also has “I wanna be black.” If you were triggered by the dododo colored girls, you would best skip this one. Lou told the honest story of the streets. NYC junkies, prostitutes, trannies, pushers, cops, etc. We suburban kids either loved him or hated him. He was my favorite artist, a wordsmith. My brothers thought he sucked and couldn’t sing. To each their own. Great, hilarious review of a guy just sharing the story of some people he met.

[@ugadawgs1990]

Part of what is going on with the “colored girls” line is it was coming out of the 50s and 60s when black female background singers were marginalized and uncredited for their work. He is kind of hitting that straight up to say, “You hide them and don’t give them credit for singing on your hits, but screw you for doing it” in a mocking way. Notice how they get louder at the end, like they are coming to the forefront and aren’t “just” background vocalists. This whole song is a tribute to people living in the artistic shadows of NYC in the early 70s.

[@Haldurson]

New York was a center for liberal freedom, particularly Greenwich Village. There have, historically, been certain places at certain times that became refuges for social outcasts and artists and poets and free-thinkers. Greenwich Village was one, as was Haight Ashbury in San Francisco, and Provincetown Massachusetts, Seattle Washington, Portland Oregon, and Denver Colorado.

[@catschorus4684]

A song about the Warhol superstars. The transvestite superstars: Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling and Jackie Curtis plus the heartthrob Joe Dallesandro and the Sugar Plum Fairy (Joe Campbell). The song is a rather accurate biography of their lives.

[@jaymcgraw528]

The Velvet Underground. Pale blue eyes is also a banger

[@mybrainhurts1856]

You would freak out on some of the songs from Hair or Shel Silverstein's album, Freakin' at the Freakers Ball. Back in the days before people's skins got so damn thn!

[@georgeditzel3504]

See this stuff in movies all the time, what’s the difference?

[@felixnorman9562]

Yo, I was a in my teens when this was on FM Radio. It wasn't band at all!

[@Ga_Army_Veteran.]

Bruh, you need to listen to The Charlie Daniel's Band Uneasy Rider and Uneasy Rider '88

[@will-x9c]

Lou's band was the highly influential Velvet Underground, a 60's Andy Warhol project. Pure NYC Lower East Side street poet degeneracy. Not for everyone :) What many people don't know was that he could absolutely shred on guitar. Check out "I Heard Her Call My Name" on the Velvet's "White Light/White Heat" album. Have ibuprophen handy. I used to play it when I wanted someone to leave. During this (Transformer) phase he played up the degeneracy card but that got old so he settled down to being a first-rate musician, a Julliard School grad who could actually read and write music. Not a nice person, ol' Lou. On Duane Allman's untimely passing: "Junkies deserve to die." Pretty harsh

[@carefreescot]

Another youngish reactor shocked by some of the stuff we heard way back then, and the term 'coloured girls' at that time was a polite way of referring to them - depending on what country or area you lived in (I am Scotland UK) calling them 'black' might have seemed racist to some people. How times change.

[@ghosttownreview1531]

2 basses. Upright and electric.

[@pillmuncher67]

Both played by Herbie Flowers. He said that if you played two different instruments in one session, you got paid double, so he suggested to the producers (Mick Ronson and David Bowie!) playing the double bass over the electric.

[@JeffTiberend]

Great reaction. You need to react to Blur - Boys and Girls. Bwa ha ha ha! It will be fun!

[@michaeltaylor8835]

Studio 54

[@glenjunk5100]

RATT..Lay it down..

[@SherryMartin-l6u]

Wish you had watched the video instead; much more real.