"Chelsea Girls" is the title track of Nico's 1967 debut album, '' Chelsea Girl''. The song was written by

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

and Sterling Morrison of

the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...

, whom Nico had collaborated with for their debut album the previous year. The title of the song and the album itself is a reference to the 1966 film of the same name by Andy Warhol, which Nico starred in herself. The film was an

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

reality movie that focused on the various residents of the Hotel Chelsea during Warhol's

Factory A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

days. Many of them were Bohemian artists, drop outs, and drug addicts, which is also described in the lyrics of the song, and also referred to are turning tricks,

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

, S&M,

amphetamine Amphetamine (contracted from Alpha and beta carbon, alpha-methylphenethylamine, methylphenethylamine) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, an ...

and silver foil. Running at just under seven and a half minutes long, "Chelsea Girls" is similar in style to a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

, telling the stories of various residents at the hotel. It features guitar work from both Reed and Morrison, who wrote the song together, as well as a flute and string section, both of which are prominent throughout the song. Nico stated in interviews that she "hated" the flute, but had no say in the matter because it was in the hands of Tom Wilson, who produced the album.

Cover versions

Singer-songwriter Elliott Smith played the song at least once during his live performances. Japanese actress/singer Miki Nakatani covered the song as the B-side of her 2001 single "Air Pocket", produced by

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, composer, keyboardist, record producer, singer and actor. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the Synthesizer, synth-based band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his ...

. The song was also covered by Stereo Total and included on their 2005 album '' Do the Bambi''.

References

{{authority control 1960s ballads 1967 songs American folk songs Nico songs Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer) Songs written by Lou Reed Songs about drugs Songs about New York City Songs about heroin Songs about BDSM Songs about prostitutes