If you’re not familiar with the original recording you might remember it from the 1996 movie, Trainspotting. The song is somber, melodic and dripping with nostalgia. It’s lyrics, "It's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you," reminisce about a day spent in the park drinking sangria where for a period of time the singer says, “You made me forget myself. I thought I was someone else, someone good.” Then the song takes a darker turn, with the closing chorus, “You just keep me hanging on,” and “You're going to reap just what you sow.”
Just incase you’ve forgotten the song (shame on you) here it is:
It’s a song about heroin addiction, about the drug and how for a time it makes you forget yourself, but in the end, when the high is over, you are left with your drug addicted self.
Not exactly a cheerful holiday classic. So, why does Susan Boyle include it on her album? Well, here is the story…
Earlier in the year Susan was asked to perform on the American version of the show that made her famous. She left her beloved Scotland and flew to Los Angeles to perform her cover of the Lou Reed song only to find, when she arrived, that due to copyright restrictions she could not sing it on the show. Rumor had it that Lou himself blocked the performance although he claims it was a rights issue with the label. Susan had this to say, “It was a bit childish on his part, a man of his caliber and his talent, a bit childish... Mr. Reed, I have respect for you as an artist but you ought to be more considerate."
Ouch!
So, perhaps as part apology Lou allowed Susan to put the song on her holiday album, and even went so far as to assist her with the video, co-directing as well as working out the concept, shots and locations for the video. "I wanted to create a beautiful and intimate piece shot in Susan's native Scotland and she quickly agreed," Reed explained.
The resulting video is nothing short of stunning. And Susan sings the song exceptionally.
It wasn’t an easy video shoot, strong winds and rain battled the Scottish singer, at one time blowing her wig off. Susan had this to say after the shoot, "I loved that Lou understood how much it meant to me to film in Scotland," she said. "I didn't mind how much it rained or blew a gale – I enjoyed every minute."
So while I’m still not sure why a song about heroin addiction belongs on a holiday album, I’m fairly sure that both parties involved in the America’s Got Talent incident wanted to make amends, and I’m glad that they did. The song is beautiful, the video is visually stunning and somehow it just fits.
What an interesting story.... Sometimes business gets in the way of art....but it turned out to be a blessing in a different way. Thank you for sharing....I might never have seen the video, or heard her version of the song. Fortunately, it has many possible interpretations, many of which go beyond heroin....but maybe, a heroine? :-)
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