Songfacts®:

• "Romeo Had Juliette" is a dark and atmospheric song that draws parallels between the classic Shakespearean tale of Romeo and Juliet and the gritty reality of New York City. The characters' names, Juliette Bell and Romeo Rodriguez, hint at the potential conflict between their social backgrounds. Juliette's surname, Bell, suggests a more affluent upbringing, while Romeo's surname, Rodriguez, alludes to his Latin heritage. This contrast reflects the prevalent social and economic disparities within New York's urban jungle.
• Reed likely drew inspiration from the 1961 musical West Side Story, which also closely resembles Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Both the song and musical explore themes of star-crossed love and the destructive power of societal divisions, while transporting the narrative from Renaissance Verona to contemporary New York City.
• This is the opening track and first single from Lou Reed's 15th solo studio album, New York. A funny, sad, caustic elegy to the city with which his destiny has always been inextricably entwined, New York was a landmark in Reed's career. "Romeo Had Juliette" sets the tone for the album's exploration of the city's gritty realities.
• American musician Fred Maher plays drums and bass guitar on this song. He drummed on Reed's Legendary Hearts and New Sensations albums and toured with the former Velvet Underground singer before joining the British band Scritti Politti. When Reed asked if he'd play on New York, he readily agreed.
  
  "He was also looking for producers, but nothing materialized, and, full of myself, I offered to do it," Maher recalled. "Lou said, 'What do you know about producing rock, after working on that synth crap?' I convinced him to record one song to see how it went. He was very into guitar sounds, so I suggested we start there and build the sound around guitar and Lou's voice, noting how previous producers had directed him to sing out, as opposed to his spoken word. The result was Romeo had Juliette, exactly as you hear it on the record. Lou called me after, and said, 'I found Lou Reed again.'"
• Maher co-produced the rest of the New York album with Reed at Mediasound Studio B in New York City. "The recording was shockingly smooth; Lou was on his best behavior throughout," Maher recalled. "We recorded the guitars first, and I played drums after and for some crazy reason it worked, even on 'Dirty Blvd,' which was very tight with subtle changes in tempo, but it just flowed easily."