Sweet Jane
| "Sweet Jane" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Sweet Jane" is a song by The Velvet Underground, originally appearing on their 1970 album Loaded. The song was written by band's leader Lou Reed, who continued to incorporate the piece into live performances years later as a solo artist.
When Loaded was originally released in 1970, the song's bridge was edited out. The box set Peel Slowly and See and reissue Loaded: Fully Loaded Edition restored the missing section.
The song also appears on the albums Live at Max's Kansas City; 1969: The Velvet Underground Live; Peel Slowly and See; Live MCMXCIII; Loaded: Fully Loaded Edition; American Poet; Rock 'n' Roll Animal; Live: Take No Prisoners; Live in Italy; The Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Rock and Roll: an Introduction to The Velvet Underground; NYC Man (The Ultimate Collection 1967–2003); Live on Letterman: Music from The Late Show; and Berlin: Live At St. Ann's Warehouse.
History
The first version of "Sweet Jane" released was recorded in early 1970 and included on that year's Loaded: Fully Loaded Edition. In 1974 an earlier down-tempo live version recorded in 1969 was included on 1969: The Velvet Underground Live. Another live version with extended intro, recorded in December of 1973, appeared on Reed's Rock 'n' Roll Animal album, also released in 1974.
Reed has performed "Sweet Jane" in two keys: the 1969 and 1970 versions were in D. On 1972's American Poet, 1973's Rock 'n' Roll Animal, and 1978's Take No Prisoners, the song is in E, while on 1984's Live in Italy the song is back in D.
Cover versions
- 1972: Mott the Hoople on the David Bowie-produced album All the Young Dudes. It was also released as a single in Canada, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United States.
- 1972: Performed during a 'Save the Whales' benefit concert on July 8,, Royal Festival Hall London, England as a duet with Lou Reed and David Bowie.[1]
- 1973: Brownsville Station on their album Yeah!
- 1985: The Afflicted (Good News About Mental Health)
- 1988: Cowboy Junkies on The Trinity Session album. Later released as a CD single, and used on the Trent Reznor-compiled Natural Born Killers soundtrack. The Cowboy Junkies's version is based on the slower early version included in 1969: The Velvet Underground Live. Lou Reed himself described it as "the best and most authentic version I have ever heard".[2]
- 1989: 2 Nice Girls recorded a cover of the song combined with Joan Armatrading's song "Love and Affection"".
- 1994: Lone Justice recorded and energetic and extended version of the song on the Radio 1 Live in Concert album.
- 1997: The Sugarcubes on the album Cover Me.
- 1998: Phish on their album Live Phish Volume 16.
- 2005 re-release of Gang of Four's debut album, Entertainment!, featured a live cover version of Sweet Jane.
English band The Kooks performed a cover of the song combined with The Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden".
Covered by the Jim Carroll Band.
Covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers live.
Lou Reed performed the song with Metallica on October 25, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York City during a concert to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rankings
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #335 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Sweet Jane" at number 18 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
Guitar World ranked "Sweet Jane" at number 81 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.[3]
Notes
- ^ http://www.teenagewildlife.com/wcgi-bin/dcinfo.wcgi?date=19720708
- ^ "Cowboy Junkies" Radio 4 Woman's Hour. BBC (29 January 2007)
- ^ 100 Greatest Guitar Solos (as ranked by the readers of Guitar World)
The Cowboy Junkies version of "Sweet Jane" also appears in a 1996 episode of Law and Order entitled "Aftershock"