Hey Lou

Album: Soberish (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Liz Phair had a love story on her mind when she wrote this upbeat tune, but it wasn't her own. She was thinking about Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson. The late Velvet Underground frontman and the avant-garde performer met in 1992 and were married from 2008 until Reed's death from liver disease in 2013. Their union captured the imagination of their fans, including Phair. "Have you ever wondered what love looks like for your favorite celebrity couple behind closed doors?" she asked. "'Hey Lou' imagines a day in the life of two music legends, whose union was an inspiration for rock bands and a source of curiosity for die hard romantics."
  • This is the second single from Phair's seventh studio album, Soberish, her first full-length release in over a decade. "Hey Lou" dropped two years after the first single, "Good Side."
  • Singing from the perspective of Anderson, Phair imagines the singer lovingly keeping her cantankerous husband in line when he's "acting like an asshole" and rambling on about his falling out with Andy Warhol (the iconic Pop artist who discovered the Velvet Underground and was their early manager). She also worries over his drug addiction resurfacing, asking "Are you on the junk again?" when his eyes look unusually red. But she holds him accountable with a reference to Anderson's 1981 hit "O Superman," singing:

    Oh superman
    I've done as much I can
    You're not the life of the party
  • When Anderson gave an acceptance speech on Reed's behalf for his 2015 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she shared the couple's "three rules to live by." She said:

    "And the first one is: One. Don't be afraid of anyone. Now, can you imagine living your life afraid of no one? Two. Get a really good bullshit detector. And three. Three is be really, really tender. And with those three things, you don't need anything else."
  • The Toben Seymour-directed music video imagines Anderson and Reed as puppets who go through their daily routine of drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, making music, and arguing about Andy Warhol (who's represented as a wild-haired puppet clad in a black turtleneck and sunglasses). Seymour, a director/puppeteer, also helmed clips for Will.i.am ("Heartbreaker"), Norah Jones ("Young Blood"), and Jesse McCartney ("Shake").
  • This reunited Phair with Brad Wood, who co-produced her debut album, Exile In Guyville (1993).

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Don Felder

Don FelderSongwriter Interviews

Don breaks down "Hotel California" and other songs he wrote as a member of the Eagles. Now we know where the "warm smell of colitas" came from.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.