Perfect Day (Lou Reed song)

"Perfect Day"
Single by Lou Reed
from the album Transformer
A-side	"Walk on the Wild Side"
Released	November, 1972
Genre	Glam rock
Length	3:46
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Lou Reed
Producer	David Bowie (Executive) Mick Ronson (Asst.)

"Perfect Day" is a song written by Lou Reed in 1972, originally featured on Transformer, Reed's second post-Velvet Underground solo album. Its fame was given a boost in the 1990s when it was featured in the 1996 film Trainspotting, and after its release as a star-studded BBC charity single in 1997, which became the UK's number one single for three weeks. Reed re-recorded the song for his 2003 album The Raven.

A cover recorded by Duran Duran reached #28 on the UK Singles Chart in 1995.

About the song

The original recording, like the rest of the Transformer album, was produced by David Bowie, with guitarist Mick Ronson providing the arrangement.

The song has a sombre vocal delivery and slow, piano-based instrumental backing balancing tones of sweet nostalgia ("it's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you") with an undercurrent of menace ("you're gonna reap just what you sow"). The line alludes to Galatians 6:7: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

The song's lyrics are often considered to suggest simple, conventional romantic devotion, possibly alluding to Reed's relationship with Bettye Kronstadt (soon to become his first wife) and Reed’s own conflicts with his sexuality, drug use, and ego.

Some commentators have further seen the lyrical subtext as displaying Reed's romanticized attitude towards a period of his own addiction to heroin; this popular understanding of the song as an ode to addiction led to its inclusion in the soundtrack for Trainspotting, a film about the lives of heroin users.

Reed's original recording was featured on an AT&T commercial featuring snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler that ran during the 2010 Olympics.

BBC corporate film and charity release

"Perfect Day"
Single by Various Artists
Released	October 3, 1997
Format	CD
Length	3:46
Label	Chrysalis / BBC
Writer(s)	Lou Reed
Producer	Simon Hanhart

In 1997 the track was showcased by the BBC in a lengthy corporate promotion of its diverse music coverage which was broadcast on BBC channels and in cinemas. It featured Lou Reed himself and other major artists in what the Financial Times described as "an astonishing line-up of world class performers". In reference to the licence fee, the film ends with the message "Whatever your musical taste, it is catered for by BBC Radio and Television. This is only possible thanks to the unique way the BBC is paid for by you. BBC. You make it what it is." This message appears over the repeated words "You're going to reap just what you sow" which The Guardian described as "a none too subtle message: keep writing the cheque." In response to accusations from commercial competitors that the corporation had wasted vast sums on the film it was revealed that each artist received a "token" £250 because of their belief in the BBC.

Prompted by a huge public demand the track was released in October as a charity single for Children in Need, and Lou Reed said "I have never been more impressed with a performance of one of my songs." It was the UK's number one single for three weeks, in two separate spells. Selling over a million copies, the record contributed £2,125,000 to the charity's highest fundraising total in six years. The release featured two additional versions of the song: one entirely sung by female performers, one by male performers. The BBC also produced a Christmas version of the accompanying music video.

Performers

Performers in order of appearance; brackets indicate mute appearance, and dividers indicate verses/sections.

• Lou Reed
• Bono
• Skye Edwards (from Morcheeba)

---

• David Bowie
• Suzanne Vega
• Elton John
• Andrew Davis

---

• Boyzone
• Lesley Garrett
• Lou Reed
• Burning Spear
• Bono
• Thomas Allen
• Brodsky Quartet

---

• Heather Small (from M People)
• Emmylou Harris
• Tammy Wynette
• Shane MacGowan
• Sheona White (tenor horn player)

---

• Dr. John
• David Bowie
• Robert Cray
• Huey (from Fun Lovin' Criminals)

---

• Ian Broudie (from The Lightning Seeds)
• Gabrielle
• Dr. John
• Evan Dando (from The Lemonheads)
• Emmylou Harris

---

• Courtney Pine (soprano saxophone player)
• BBC Symphony Orchestra
• Andrew Davis
• Bono

---

• Brett Anderson (from Suede)
• Visual Ministry Choir
• Joan Armatrading
• Laurie Anderson
• Heather Small
• Tom Jones
• Heather Small
• Lou Reed

Sequels

Following the success of the "Perfect Day" music video, the BBC produced two further similar campaigns. The first, Future Generations, in December 1998, did a similar multi-celebrity montage with favourite BBC children's programmes. The second, called Shaggy Dog Story, featured various comedians and comic actors telling a long-winded shaggy dog story, with each one sharing a line or phrase. A second, shorter shaggy dog story, entitled Mammals vs. Insects, was also broadcast on 4 January 2000.

Music Live 2000

A BBC live television event in 2000, which consisted of music programs around the clock, ended in another round-robin performance of "Perfect Day". Although watched by millions, the recording of the show that was released as a single was not a chart success, reaching only #69 in mid-June 2000.

This line-up included Rolf Harris and a beginning and ending performance from Lou Reed himself.

Duran Duran version

"Perfect Day"
Single by Duran Duran
from the album Thank You
Released	March 25, 1995
Length	3:53
Label	EMI – DD 20
Writer(s)	Lou Reed
Producer	Duran Duran
Duran Duran singles chronology
"Too Much Information" (1993) "Perfect Day" (1995) "White Lines" (1995)

A cover version of "Perfect Day" was the first single from the Duran Duran covers album Thank You. It reached #28 on the UK Singles Chart in 1995.

Lou Reed has been cited as an inspiration by several members of Duran Duran, and the album Thank You was intended to be a tribute to the band's influences, in the style of David Bowie's Pin Ups.

The song featured a rare appearance by Duran Duran's first drummer Roger Taylor, who left the band at the height of their fame in 1986, and had had little contact with them in the ten years afterward. He joined Duran Duran in the studio to record "Perfect Day", "Watching the Detectives" and "Jeepster" for the covers album. Taylor also appeared in the video and in a promotional appearance on Top of the Pops.

Backing vocals were provided by longtime Duran Duran collaborator Tessa Niles. The recording was produced by John Jones and David Richards, with additional programming by Mark Tinley.

The music video was filmed in February 1995 by director Nick Egan, and first aired in March. It featured the band with their instruments inside the box of a sound stage lined with vivid red walls, and the video is intensely saturated, even overexposed at times. Clips of a melancholy Simon Le Bon singing, and other band members performing or reacting to the lyrics, are interspersed with snippets of surreal images. The camera occasionally pulls back to show the entire stage structure and its supports, increasing the sense of unreality.

The single was released in several versions, including numerous different remixes of the title track and other Duran Duran songs. In addition to the single and the Thank You album, the song also appeared in Duran Duran's Singles Box Set 1986–1995, released in 2004.

On Duran Duran's episode of Behind the Music, Reed admitted that their version might be better than his original version, saying, "I think Duran Duran's version of 'Perfect Day' is possibly the best rerecording of a song of mine. I'm not sure that I sang it as well as Simon [Le Bon] sang it. I think he sings it better than I [did]. If I could've sung it the way he did, I would've. It wasn't from lack of trying. They recorded it the way I meant [to record] it, which is a real big thrill for me, so thank you, Duran Duran."

Chart positions

The song reached #28 on the UK Singles Chart.

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes

The UK release included a 2-CD set ("Part 1" and "Part 2"), containing different mixes and bonus tracks, sold both separately and together. A limited edition release included a scratch and sniff ice cream cone cover.

The bonus tracks on the double CD set issued in the US and the UK included two more covers which were not included on the album: "The Needle and the Damage Done", originally by Neil Young, and "Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile)" originally by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel.

Track listing

7": Parlophone DD 20 (UK)

1. "Perfect Day" – 3:53
2. "Femme Fatale" (alternative mix) – 4:14

MC: Capitol 4KM 58392 4 (US)

1. "Perfect Day" – 3:53
2. "White Lines" (Wrapless Edit) – 4:32

CD: Parlophone CD DD 20 (UK)

1. "Perfect Day" – 3:53
2. "Love Voodoo" (remix) – 7:36
3. "The Needle and the Damage Done" – 2:03
4. "911 is a Joke" (alternative version) – 3:49

CD: Parlophone CD DDS 20 (UK)

1. "Perfect Day" – 3:53
2. "Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile)" – 4:56
3. "Perfect Day" (acoustic version) – 3:44
4. "Femme Fatale" (alternative mix) – 4:14

• This CD came in a 2-CD case that also housed CD DD 20.

CD: EMI CDINTPRO 1 (UK)

1. "Perfect Day" (album version)

• Promo

CD: Capitol C2 7243 8 58392 2 1 (US)

1. "Perfect Day" (album version) – 3:44
2. "White Lines" (live version) – 5:33
3. "White Lines" (Oakland Funk Edit) – 4:24
4. "White Lines" (Junior's Freestyle Edit) – 4:06
5. "None of the Above" (Remix) – 4:07

• "White Lines" (live version) recorded at Wembley Arena, London April 1994.

CD: Capitol C2 7243 8 58393 2 0 (US)

1. "Perfect Day" (acoustic version) – 3:25
2. "White Lines" (Junior's House Mix Edit) – 4:02
3. "White Lines" (Global Groove Edit) – 3:56
4. "White Lines" (Blizzard Mix) – 4:35
5. "The Needle and the Damage Done" – 2:02

CD: Part of Singles Box Set 1986-1995 box set

1. "Perfect Day" – 3:53
2. "Femme Fatale" (alternative mix) – 4:14
3. "Love Voodoo" (remix) – 7:36
4. "The Needle and the Damage Done" – 2:03
5. "911 is a Joke" (alternative version) – 3:49
6. "Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile)" – 4:56
7. "Perfect Day" (acoustic version) – 3:44

CD: Capitol DPRO-79599 (US)

1. "Perfect Day" (album version) – 3:53
2. "Perfect Day" (acoustic version) – 3:44

Other appearances

Apart from the single, "Perfect Day" also appears on the albums

• Thank You (1995)
• Singles Box Set 1986–1995 (2004)

Personnel

Duran Duran are:

• Simon Le Bon – vocals
• Nick Rhodes – keyboards
• John Taylor – bass guitar
• Warren Cuccurullo – guitar

With:

• Roger Taylor – drums
• Tessa Niles – backing vocals

Also credited:

• John Jones, Anthony J. Resta, Bob St. John – additional production and engineering
• David Richards – mixing
• Mark Tinley – additional programming

Susan Boyle version

"Perfect Day"
Single by Susan Boyle
from the album The Gift
Released	8 November 2010
Length	4:31
Label	Syco/Columbia Records
Writer(s)	Lou Reed
Producer	Steve Mac
Susan Boyle singles chronology
"I Dreamed a Dream" (2010) "Perfect Day" (2010) "I Know Him So Well" (2011)

Scottish recording artist Susan Boyle covered the song on her second album The Gift and also released it on 8 November 2010 as a single.

Conflict with Lou Reed

In September 2010, Susan Boyle had to cancel a performance on America's Got Talent at the last minute. She had planned to sing Perfect Day, but two hours before the show, she was told that Lou Reed had intervened, refusing her permission to perform his song and to include it on her forthcoming album The Gift. As she and her choir didn't have time to rehearse another number, she decided to cancel her performance. A couple of days later, representatives of Lou Reed stated that he had nothing to do with the decision and that it was just a licensing glitch.

A couple of weeks later, Lou Reed agreed not only to let her include the song on The Gift, but also to produce her music video of the song. It was shot on the banks of Loch Lomond and premiered on 7 November 2010.

Live performances

On 19 November 2010 she performed the song on Children in Need. She also performed this again at the 82nd Royal Variety Performance, performed on the 9th December 2010.

Chart performance

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)	32
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)	124

Other versions

Several other cover versions of "Perfect Day" have been recorded by various artists.

• Glenn Gregory, vocalist of Heaven 17, covered the song on the 1982 British Electric Foundation album Music of Quality and Distinction Volume 1.
• Helen Hoffner recorded her version on her 1993 album Wild About Nothing.
• Kirsty MacColl recorded her version as a duet with Evan Dando on her 1995 album Galore.
• Chris Whitley used it as the title and covered the song for his 2000 album, Perfect Day.
• Antony Hegarty recorded his version on his 2003 album Raven, at Reed's request.
• California punk band T.S.O.L. recorded a cover for their 4 Songs - 2005 EP.
• Leningrad Cowboys, a Finnish Hard Rock band, covered it on their 2006 album, Zombie's Paradise.
• Patti Smith recorded a cover for her 2007 Two More EP.
• Taiwanese singer Faith Yang collaborated with Hong Kong singer Eason Chan to record a cover for Yang's 2009 album Self-Selected.
• Dionysis Savvopoulos set his own lyrics to the song's melody for Μέρα Όμορφη (Mera Omorfi, "Beautiful Day")
  • Tzimis Panousis recorded a parody of Savvopoulos's Greek song, called Πρέζα Όμορφη (Preza Omorfi, "Beautiful Heroin").
• Amanda Lear recorded an acoustic and a dance version of this song in her 2009's CD Brief Encounters.
• Metric included a version on their 2010 Spotify Covers EP
• The Jolly Boys covered the song on their 2010 album Great Expectation.

Live covers:

• Lou Reed sang the verses with Luciano Pavarotti singing the chorus during his Pavarotti and Friends benefit concert for Angola in 2002.
• Coldplay played an acoustic version at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2006 after Reed had asked them to backstage after he had finished his set but forgot to perform it himself (as Martin explained beforehand).
• Amanda Palmer during her 2006 "Fuck the Back Row" tour.
• Zemfira during her 2006 "Vendetta" tour.
• Wolfmother played it at the "Andy Warhol Up Late" gig in 2008.
• The village of Blagdon performed a version in 2007.
• Australian singer-songwriter Andy Bull frequently covers the song in his live shows, particularly when performing solo.

Dutch-language covers

• Rob de Nijs recorded it for his 1977 album Tussen Zomer en Winter as Lome Dag chronicling a lazy day.
• The 1997 cover of the charity version (Mooie Dag) stayed close to the original lyrics.

See also

• List of number-one singles from the 1990s (UK)
• List of number-one singles of 1997 (Ireland)

References

Sources

• Original Seeds Vol. 2, liner notes by Kim Beissel

External links

• MP3.com review
• Line-by-line list of singers