Stephanie Says
Encyclopedia
"Stephanie Says" is a song by The Velvet Underground
originally recorded in 1968. Although available on various bootlegs, the song was not officially released until 1985, when a remixed version appeared on the album VU
. The original, 1968 mix of Stephanie Says was included on the 2005 Velvet Underground compilation album
, Gold
. In 2001, the song was used in the Wes Anderson
film The Royal Tenenbaums
.
The song was loosely inspired by the group's manager at the time, Steven Sesnick
("Stephanie" being the female form of "Steven"). Lou Reed
rewrote the lyrics and re-named it "Caroline Says (II)" for his 1973 solo album Berlin
. While vastly different in tone, it retained the refrain, "It's so cold in Alaska".
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...
originally recorded in 1968. Although available on various bootlegs, the song was not officially released until 1985, when a remixed version appeared on the album VU
VU (album)
VU is an outtakes compilation album by The Velvet Underground. It was released in February 1985 by Verve Records.-Composition and collection:...
. The original, 1968 mix of Stephanie Says was included on the 2005 Velvet Underground compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Gold
Gold (Velvet Underground album)
Gold is a two-CD compilation album by The Velvet Underground. It was released for the North American market on June 14, 2005, by Polydor, the record label that oversees the band's Universal Music Group back catalogue....
. In 2001, the song was used in the Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson
Wesley Wales Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer of features, short films and commercials....
film The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. The film stars Gene Hackman and Anjelica Huston, with Danny Glover, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson....
.
The song was loosely inspired by the group's manager at the time, Steven Sesnick
Steve Sesnick
Stephen Sesnick was a club owner who served as manager of The Velvet Underground after the band ended their association with Andy Warhol in 1967....
("Stephanie" being the female form of "Steven"). 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...
rewrote the lyrics and re-named it "Caroline Says (II)" for his 1973 solo album Berlin
Berlin (album)
Berlin is a 1973 album by Lou Reed, his third solo album and the follow-up to Transformer. In 2003, the album was ranked number 344 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, though the publication had called the album a "disaster" 30 years prior.-Background and...
. While vastly different in tone, it retained the refrain, "It's so cold in Alaska".
Cover versions
- Lee RanaldoLee RanaldoLee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
of Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
covered the song on Fifteen Minutes: A Tribute to the Velvet UndergroundFifteen Minutes: A Tribute to the Velvet UndergroundFifteen Minutes: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground was an album released by Imaginary Records in the UK in 1994. The album consisted of contemporary artists performing cover versions of songs by The Velvet Underground...
. - Keren AnnKeren AnnKeren Ann Zeidel is a singer-songwriter-composer-producer and engineer based largely in Paris, Tel Aviv and New York City. She plays guitar, piano and clarinet, engineers and writes choir and musical arrangements.-Life and career:...
and Barði Jóhannson, lead singer of IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic band Bang GangBang GangBang Gang is a melodic pop band from Iceland founded by songwriter/producer Bardi Johannsson . The band was formed in 1996, in Johannsson’s hometown of Reykjavik...
covered the song on their album Lady and BirdLady and BirdLady and Bird is an album from the collaboration of singer/songwriter Keren Ann and Barði Jóhannson, lead singer of Icelandic band Bang Gang.-Track listing:# "Do What I Do"# "Shepard's Song"# "Stephanie Says"...
. - The song is referenced heavily in Amanda PalmerAmanda PalmerAmanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
's "Blake Says" on her 2008 solo album, Who Killed Amanda PalmerWho Killed Amanda PalmerWho Killed Amanda Palmer is the first solo album by American musical artist Amanda Palmer.The album was largely recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, with collaborator Ben Folds and was released on Roadrunner Records...
. - Serbian rockSerbian rockSerbian rock is the rock music scene of Serbia. During the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s, while Serbia was a constituent republic of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Serbian rock scene was a part of the SFR Yugoslav rock scene....
band Eva BraunEva Braun (band)Eva Braun is a britpop/pop rock band from Bečej, Serbia, notable as one of the most important bands of the Vojvodina pop-rock scene of the 1990s...
covered the song with lyrics in Serbian languageSerbian languageSerbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
in 1993 for the various artist compilation Radio Utopia. The song was again released as a bonus track on the remastered edition of their second studio album Pop music. - Emiliana TorriniEmilíana TorriniEmilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, best known for her 2009 single Jungle Drum, 1999 album Love in the Time of Science and for performing "Gollum's Song" for Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.-Early life:Torrini grew up in Kópavogur, where, at the age of...
covered the song as well. - Bettie ServeertBettie ServeertBettie Serveert are a Dutch indie-rock band. Their name translates to "Bettie Serves", or "Service to Bettie", which is the title of a book written by Dutch tennis player Betty Stöve, who made it to the Wimbledon ladies singles final in 1977.-Genesis:...
covered the song on their live cover album Bettie Serveert Plays Venus in Furs and Other Velvet Underground Songs. - The protagonist's name in the novel Looking For AlaskaLooking for AlaskaLooking for Alaska is the first young adult novel by John Green, published in March 2005 by Dutton Juvenile. It won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association...
was inspired by this song.