From the start, Warhol’s treatment of Nico as a pretty pawn was problematic, causing drama within The Velvet Underground and ultimately setting Nico up to be treated as voiceless and insubstantial for the remainder of her career. Ultimately, Nico’s story (or lack thereof) exposes societal issues exacerbated through the lens of the art world. Tragically, she died in a cycling accident on vacation in Ibiza at the age of 49. (She was unsuccessful.) Throughout the remainder of her life, Nico struggled with drug addiction, periodically went on tour, had a son, and lived in Berlin and Manchester along with New York City. Famously, Nico became so fed up with her lack of agency that she became determined to destroy her appearance in an effort to force people to take her seriously. Accounts of her character range from descriptions of a vapid blonde to an egotistical maniac. Her looks inspired lust and hate in many men, but, as her narrative was controlled by the men that managed her, very little is known about who she really was and what kind of music she really wanted to produce. Nico, recruited by Warhol as a pretty face, was treated as nothing more than that for her entire professional career. Not only was she ridiculed by Reed in her time with The Velvet Underground, but he imposed a band-wide ban in which no members could accompany Nico in her solo performances, and she was regularly ridiculed on stage. Sadly, Nico’s singing career was never defined by her own musical desires. In the place of her requests for drums and guitars, the songs on her album were overproduced with dramatic string accompaniments. You may recognize her most famous song from the album, “These Days,” from its inclusion in Wes Anderson’s film “The Royal Tenenbaums.” Unfortunately, this song is a gross misrepresentation of Nico and her artistic viewpoint: Nico had just about no say in the production of “Chelsea Girl”. Take a look at the chorus: ‘Cause everybody knows (she’s a femme fatale) / The thing she does to please (she’s a femme fatale) / She’s just a little tease (she’s a femme fatale) / See the way she walks / Hear the way she talks …Īfter her stint with The Velvet Underground, Nico went into solo work, recording her debut album, “Chelsea Girl,” with songs written by rock icons such as Bob Dylan and Tim Hardin. In retaliation to Warhol’s requirement, Reed wrote the song “Femme Fatale” specifically for Nico to sing, knowing it would ridicule and humiliate her. When listening to her lead vocals on “Femme Fatale,” this inexperience is blatantly obvious: her voice is pitchy, off-key and inconsistent. Previous to her feature on The Velvet Underground’s Warhol album, Nico had no substantial singing experience. Warhol, fearing that The Velvet Underground lacked A-list looks, quickly required the addition of model Nico to the band, much to Reed’s dismay. The Velvet Underground, an up-and-coming rock band in the 1960’s led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Lou Reed, was picked up by Andy Warhol in his efforts to expand his art repertoire into the music scene. Here is the next verse: It’s not hard to realize / Just look into her false colored eyes / She builds you up to just put you down / What a clown. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was. As she sings, her vocals are shaky, almost as if Nico was on the verge of tears. This voice belongs to model, actress, and singer Nico. The lyrics, clearly written from a man’s point of view, are eerily crooned in a woman’s voice. Listening to this song for the first time without context is confusing to say the least. Here she comes / You better watch your step / She’s going to break your heart in two / It’s true … This the first verse of vocals in the song “Femme Fatale” by The Velvet Underground and Nico.
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