There have been many cases in the history of music when sudden popularity hit a composition decades after it was written. Something similar happened with the song Perfect Day by American rock musician Lou Reed.
Recall how the famous composition was written.
Lou Reed’s Perfect Day The Story Behind
In 1972, Reid included Perfect Day on the Transformer album. Needless to say, she went unnoticed. And yet, the song became a real hit only after almost a quarter of a century, when it became almost the main theme of the soundtrack for the film Trainspotting (in the domestic box office – “Trainspotting”).
Later Perfect Day’s fame was strengthened when the song was released as a single performed by a group of stars. The video clip was a promotional video for the BBC, and it was shown for a long time on various channels and in cinemas.
The meaning of Perfect Day – Lou Reed
The words of the composition are uncomplicated. These are sad memories of a wonderful day spent, apparently, with a beloved woman. There is an opinion that Lou Reed wrote it during a romantic relationship with his future first wife, Betty Kronstadt.
But there is another point of view. Reid had been a heroin user for a long time, which has always been common in rock and roll. It is possible that in Perfect Day he talks about this period and, in a veiled form, refers specifically to drugs and the state that they cause.
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Although, most likely, such an opinion spread due to the fact that the song is used in the film Trainspotting, which tells about the life of drug addicts. Moreover, it sounds in a very vivid scene when the main character takes a dose after some abstinence.
The last line encourages listeners to think about what they are doing: “You’re going to reap just what you sow” (“You reap only what you sow”). This is an almost exact quote from the Bible Letter to the Galatians: “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” If Perfect Day is after all Lou Reed’s memories of the heroin past, then it sounds especially impressive.
Cover versions of Perfect Day
Over the years, Perfect Day has been performed by many musicians and bands. Notable covers are by Duran Duran and Susan Boyle. Lou Reed considers the version of Duran Duran to be more successful than his own. According to him, they managed to convey to the listener exactly what he intended. We invite you to watch the video clip.
Interesting Facts
- Each musician who participated in the recording of the Perfect Day single received a symbolic two hundred and fifty pounds from the BBC.
Perfect Day by Lou Reed Lyrics
Just a perfect day
Drink sangria in the park
And then later, when it gets dark,
We’ll go home
Just a perfect day
Feed animals in the zoo
Then later a movie too
And then home
Oh it’s such a perfect day
I’m glad I spent it with you
Oh such a perfect day
You just keep me hanging on
You just keep me hanging on
Just a perfect day
Problems all left alone
Weekenders on our own
It’s such fun
Just a perfect day
You make me forget myself
I thought I was someone else
someone good
You’re going to reap just what you sow x4
Lyrics of Perfect Day by Lou Reed Alternate
Just a perfect day
We drink sangria in the park
And later, when it gets dark,
We’ll go home
Just a perfect day We feed the animals at the zoo
Then we also go to the cinema,
And then home
Oh it’s just a perfect day I’m glad I spent it with you
Oh just a perfect day
I’m only holding on because of you
I’m only holding on thanks to you
Just a perfect day
All problems are forgotten We spend the weekend on our own
It’s so fun
Just a perfect day
Thanks to you I forget who I am I thought I was someone else
someone good
You only reap what you sow x4
