A metà anni '70 Lou Reed era in un periodo alquanto strano, una specie di via di mezzo tra il successo da “rocker maledetto” e la follia che gli fece produrre quel Metal Machine Music che gli alienò molte simpatie all’interno della sua casa discografica, oltreché fra i suoi fans. Era quindi in un periodo in cui egli stesso aveva bisogno di una svolta, anche in campo musicale, e la svolta arrivò.
Se ne uscì infatti con questo Coney Island Baby, un disco leggero e bellissimo, anche se in qualche modo anticipa la “stupid music” di Rock’n’Roll Heart che arriverà subito dopo.
E’ possibile che lo abbia fatto anche per risarcire almeno in parte la RCA dal terribile insuccesso di Metal Machine Music, ma non importa, qualsiasi ragione per un disco del genere è buona.
La leggerezza si sente subito nelle prime due tracce dell’album, “Crazy Feeling” e “Charley’s Girl”, due ottimi brani easy-listening, piacevolmente rockeggiati e orecchiabilissimi, musica, per dirla con Lou, “da ascoltare al bar mentre si sta leggendo, tanto per gradire
”. “She’s My Best Friend” è una delle mie canzoni preferite di Lou Reed, un rock tipicamente reediano, con un esplodere chitarristico finale che la colloca sicuramente fra i suoi pezzi di maggior pregio in assoluto.
“Kicks”: se io fossi un regista e facessi un film dedicato a un serial killer, non troverei miglior colonna sonora di questa canzone, inno alla depravazione, al vizio e al deragliamento più totali. Lou Reed confessa candidamente “Sono un regalo per le donne di questo mondo
”, (“A Gift”), bisognerebbe chiedere informazioni a Laurie Anderson, sua attuale compagna.
Poi arriva il rock’n’roll semplice e diretto di “Ooohhh Baby”, ritmo e chitarre trascinanti e voce di Lou svaccata e scazzata. “Nobody’s Business” è un lento che non mi ha mai colpito granché, mentre la finale “Coney Island Baby” è il Colpo del Genio, un lentaccio autobiografico e ad effetto che lascia sbigottiti per intensità e per la partecipazione con cui Lou si racconta attraverso una canzone, con ricordi anche di adolescenza (“Volevo giocare a football solamente per il coach…
”).
Un disco che forse voleva essere solamente di transizione e che invece si è rivelato molto di più, soprattutto alla luce di quanto successo dopo, ed è un album che, nel catalogo loureediano, brilla di luce propria e, a tutt’oggi, si lascia ascoltare con estremo piacere.
Elenco tracce testi e video
04 Kicks (06:06)
Hey man, what's your style
How you get your kicks for living
Hey man, what's your style
How you get your adrenalin flowing now
How you get your adrenalin flowing
Hey man, what's your style
I love the way, try to call now
Hey man, what's your style
I ain't jealous of the way you're living
I ain't jealous of the way you're living
When you cut that dude with just a little mania
You did it so, ... ah
When the blood comma' down his neck ...
Don't you know it was better than sex, now, now, now
It was way better than getting mean
'cause it was, the final thing to do, now
Get somebody to come on to you
and then you just get somebody to
to now, now, come on to you
And then you kill 'em, yeah
You kill 'em, now, now, cause I need kicks ...
I'm getting bored, I need, need, need, need now, now some kicks
Oh, give it, give it, give it, give it to me now, now, kicks
Hey man, what's your style
How you get your kicks for living
Hey man, what's your style
How you get your adrenalin flowing now, now, now, now, now
How you get your adrenalin flowing
Hey man, what's your style
You know, I love the way you drive your car now
Hey man, what's your style
I ain't jealous of the way you're living
Ain't jealous of, now, now, the way you're living
Hey, newspaper ...
You did it so, wow, crudely, now
With that blood coming down his chest
It was way better than sex, now, now
It was way better than getting mean
It was the final thing to do
Get somebody to came, come on to you, then
Get somebody to, ah, come on to you
Better kill them now
Better kill him now, now
Yeah, yeah, yeah, kill him now, now
'Cause I need kicks
I need some kicks
I'm getting bored
I need, need, need, need, need, need, need some kicks
Yeah, need, need, need, need, need, need, need some kicks
Oh, give it now, kicks
Yeah, need some kicks
Yeah, need some k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k, kicks
Oh, give it me now, now
Kicks, kicks, kicks, kicks ...
05 A Gift (03:47)
I'm just a gift to the women of this world
I'm just a gift to the women of this world
Responsibility sits so hard on my shoulder
like a good wine, I'm better as I grow older, and now -
- I'm just a gift to the women of this world
I'm just a gift to the women of this world
I'm just a gift to the women of this world
It's hard to settle for second best
after you've had me, you know that you've had the best
and now you know that -
- I'm just a gift to the women of this world
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)
Responsibility sits hard on my shoulder
like a good wine, I'm better as I get older, and now -
- I'm just a gift to the women of this world
You know that I'm just a gift to the women of this world
just a gift now
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world, just now)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world, just a gift)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)
I'm just a gift to the women of this world
I'm just a gift to the women of this world
....
07 Nobody's Business (03:41)
Hey, if you're moving too fast
don't you want this thing last
But if you start moving slow and -
hey, pretty mama, you just will have to go, because -
It's nobody's business but my own
It's nobody's business but my own
No-no-no-no-no-no-no, no-no-no-no, no-no-no
No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no, no-no-no-no, no-no-no
But if you start acting mean
then I'll have to mess up the scene
But if you start treating me nice
hey, now baby, I'm gonna have to raise your price
Because it's nobody's business but my own
It's nobody's business but my own
No-no-no-no-no-no-no, no-no-no-no, no-no-no
No-no-no-no, no-no-no, no-no-no
Nobody's business
nobody's business, come on now
Hey, nobody's business, yeah, but my own
nobody's business, oh, my, no-no-no
Nobody's business, no-no-no-no-no
hey, nobody's business, yeah, but my own
Nobody's business, my own
no-no, no-no-no
No-no-no, no-no-no
Nobody's business
nobody's business
Nobody's business
nobody's business, but my own, now
...
08 Coney Island Baby (06:36)
You know, man, when I was a young man in high school
you believe in or not I wanted to play football for the coach
And all those older guys
they said he was mean and cruel, but you know
wanted to play football for the coach
They said I was to little too light weight to play line-backer
so I say I'm playing right-end
wanted to play football for the coach
'Cause, you know some day, man
you gotta stand up straight unless you're gonna fall
then you're gone to die
And the straightest dude
I ever knew was standing right for me all the time
So I had to play football for the coach
and I wanted to play football for the coach
When you're all alone and lonely
in your midnight hour
And you find that your soul
it's been up for sale
And you begin to think 'bout
all the things that you've done
And you begin to hate
just 'bout everything
But remember the princess who lived on the hill
Who loved you even though she knew you was wrong
And right now she just might come shining through
and the -
- Glory of love, glory of love
glory of love, just might come through
And all your two-bit friends
have gone and ripped you off
They're talking behind your back saying, man
you're never going to be no human being
And you start thinking again
'bout all those things that you've done
And who it was and what it was
and all the different things you made every different scene
Ahhh, but remember that the city is a funny place
Something like a circus or a sewer
And just remember different people have peculiar tastes
and the -
- Glory of love, the glory of love
the glory of love, might see you through
yeah, but now, now
Glory of love, the glory of love
the glory of love, might see you through
Glory of love, ah, huh, huh, the glory of love
Glory of love, glory of love
Glory of love, now, glory of love, now
Glory of love, now, now, now, glory of love
Glory of love, give it to me now, glory of love see you through
Oh, my Coney Island baby, now
(I'm a Coney Island baby, now)
I'd like to send this one out for Lou and Rachel
and all the kids and P.S. 192
Coney Island baby
Man, I'd swear, I'd give the whole thing up for you
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Altre recensioni
Di stellameringa
Il brano 'Coney Island Baby' è una canzone rabbiosa d'affetto, di gratitudine, di sassolini nella scarpa gettati al di là di qualsiasi ostacolo... e di amore... soprattutto d'amore.
'Coney Island Baby' diventa una sorta di inno all'omosessualità, ma allo stesso tempo celebra l'amore a 360° senza compromessi e senza inibizioni.
