I'll Be Your Mirror
Encyclopedia
"I'll Be Your Mirror" is a song by The Velvet Underground
. It appeared on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. It also surfaced as a single a year earlier with "All Tomorrow's Parties
" in 1966.
Lou Reed
wrote the song for Nico
, who provides lead vocals. Inspiration for the song apparently came about after Nico approached Reed after a show in 1965 saying, "Oh Lou, I'll be your mirror." The song is a favorite of Reed's and The Velvet Underground & Nico engineer, Norman Dolph.
described the ordeal in an interview:
The members of the band enjoyed her particular performance on the song so much that after she left the band in late 1967, live vocals for the song were done imitating Nico's accent.
Mentor and manager Andy Warhol
suggested that the album have a built-in crack in it so the line "I'll be your mirror" would repeat infinitely on a record player
until the listener moved the needle themselves, but nothing ever came of this idea.
. She also sings "to show that you're home" at the end of the second verse rather than "so you won't be afraid". The backing vocals that sing "reflect what you are" also are almost inaudible on this version of the song, and the guitar is louder.
rpm
single version of the song was released in July 1966 with "All Tomorrow's Parties
". The single is identical to the album cut except that it does not fade out
at the end. Instead, it goes on for about five seconds ending with a guitar chord. This version of the song later became available in 2002 on the "Deluxe Edition" of The Velvet Underground & Nico.
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
. It appeared on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. It also surfaced as a single a year earlier with "All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (song)
"All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by The Velvet Underground, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico....
" in 1966.
Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
wrote the song for Nico
Nico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
, who provides lead vocals. Inspiration for the song apparently came about after Nico approached Reed after a show in 1965 saying, "Oh Lou, I'll be your mirror." The song is a favorite of Reed's and The Velvet Underground & Nico engineer, Norman Dolph.
Recording
"I'll Be Your Mirror" was the most difficult for Nico to record, as the band wanted her to provide slender, delicate vocals for the song, yet she would sing louder, more aggressive vocals take after take. Sterling MorrisonSterling Morrison
Holmes Sterling Morrison, Jr. was one of the founding members of the rock group The Velvet Underground, usually playing electric guitar, occasionally bass guitar, and singing backing vocals.-Biography:...
described the ordeal in an interview:
The members of the band enjoyed her particular performance on the song so much that after she left the band in late 1967, live vocals for the song were done imitating Nico's accent.
Mentor and manager Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
suggested that the album have a built-in crack in it so the line "I'll be your mirror" would repeat infinitely on a record player
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
until the listener moved the needle themselves, but nothing ever came of this idea.
Scepter Studios, April 1966
A different mix of the song appears on the acetate cut of the Scepter Studios session, with an alternate track of more aggressive lead vocals by NicoNico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
. She also sings "to show that you're home" at the end of the second verse rather than "so you won't be afraid". The backing vocals that sing "reflect what you are" also are almost inaudible on this version of the song, and the guitar is louder.
Single version, July 1966
A 45Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
rpm
Revolutions per minute
Revolutions per minute is a measure of the frequency of a rotation. It annotates the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis...
single version of the song was released in July 1966 with "All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (song)
"All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by The Velvet Underground, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico....
". The single is identical to the album cut except that it does not fade out
Fade (audio engineering)
In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theater lighting, in much the same way ....
at the end. Instead, it goes on for about five seconds ending with a guitar chord. This version of the song later became available in 2002 on the "Deluxe Edition" of The Velvet Underground & Nico.
Covers
- MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
songwriter Stuart FergusonStuart FergusonStuart Ferguson is a former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s who at representative level has played rugby union for Wales XV, and at club level for Swansea RFC, playing at Wing, i.e. number 11 or 14, and at representative level has played rugby league for...
covered this song on his 2008 album Shackles & Ties.
- Clem SnideClem SnideClem Snide is an alt-country band featuring Eef Barzelay , Brendan Fitzpatrick and Ben Martin .-History:"Clem Snide" is a character in several novels by William S. Burroughs, including Naked Lunch, The Ticket That Exploded, and Exterminator!...
covered this song on their 2004 EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
A Beautiful EPA Beautiful EPA Beautiful EP is an EP release by indie rock band Clem Snide. It was released primarily to capitalize on the band's performance of the Christina Aguilera single "Beautiful" during live shows....
.
- A cover by The PrimitivesThe PrimitivesThe Primitives are a British indie pop band from Coventry, best known for their 1988 international hit single "Crash".-Biography:The Primitives were part of the indie music scene of the mid-1980s alongside bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, the Soup...
(named for Cale & Reed's earlier band) appears on the CD version of their 1989 album PurePure (The Primitives album)Pure is a 1989 studio album by The Primitives, released as the follow-up to their debut, Lovely. The line-up changed slightly over the course of the previous year: Steve Dullaghan was replaced on the bass guitar by Paul Sampson, who also shared the production duties with Wayne Morris.The first U.S....
.