Heroin (The Velvet Underground song)

"Heroin"
Song by the Velvet Underground
from the album The Velvet Underground & Nico
ReleasedMarch 12, 1967 (1967-03-12)
RecordedMay 1966
StudioTTG Studios, Hollywood, California
Genre
Length7:12
LabelVerve
Songwriter(s)Lou Reed
Producer(s)Andy Warhol
Audio sample
"Heroin"

"Heroin" is a song by American rock band the Velvet Underground, released on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. Written by Lou Reed in 1964, the song, which overtly depicts heroin usage and its effects, is one of the band's most celebrated compositions. Critic Mark Deming of Allmusic writes, "While 'Heroin' hardly endorses drug use, it doesn't clearly condemn it, either, which made it all the more troubling in the eyes of many listeners."[3] In 2004, it was ranked at number 448 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time",[4] and was re-ranked at number 455 in 2010.[5]

  1. ^ Zak, Albin (2000). The Velvet Underground Companion: Four Decades of Commentary. Music Sales Group. ISBN 978-0028646275. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  2. ^ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "1975: Storm Warning". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 422. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  3. ^ "Heroin" at AllMusic
  4. ^ "Rolling Stone Greatest Songs 2004 401-500". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-20. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Heroin ranked 455 by Rolling Stone in 2010". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 August 2021.