"I'm Waiting for the Man" is a song by the American rock band the Velvet Underground, written by Lou Reed. It was first released on their 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico.
The song is about purchasing $26 worth of heroin (equivalent to $187 in 2016) in a Harlem brownstone near the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 125th Street in New York City, sung from the point of view of the purchaser who is presumably traveling to Harlem from another part of the city; the "man" in the title is a drug dealer. Along with traditional guitars, bass, and drums, the song also features pounding, percussive rock-and-roll barrelhouse-style piano. It is one of the band's more popular songs, and one of their many compositions featuring drugs as subject matter. After leaving the band in 1970, Lou Reed continued to incorporate it into his solo live performances.
It was released as a single in October 1971 (with "There She Goes Again" on the B-side) as by Andy Warhol's Velvet Underground on MGM Records.
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #159 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song was among a set of early songs to be recorded by Lou Reed, John Cale and Sterling Morrison in the band's Ludlow Street loft in Manhattan. This version of the song, free of percussion, has a considerably more folk and even blues influence in style than the album version. It is available on the first disc of the Peel Slowly and See box set.
Before the final album version of the song was recorded in May 1966, at T.T.G. Studios in Hollywood, a different take was recorded in April 1966 at Scepter Studios in Manhattan. The original Manhattan take is slightly shorter, the piano is less audible and instead of drums, a tambourine is employed. Also of note is that Reed sings "I'm waiting for the man" at the beginning of the song; on the album version, Reed sings "I'm waiting for my man."
Lou Reed – lead vocal, lead guitar
John Cale – piano, bass
Sterling Morrison – rhythm guitar
Maureen Tucker – drums, tambourine
Nico and Velvet Underground members Lou Reed, John Cale and Maureen Tucker have all recorded solo versions.
Other artists who have recorded covers of the song include:
The Riot Squad, with David Bowie
Beck
Celibate Rifles
Charlie Harper on his 1982 album Stolen Property
Eater
Električni Orgazam, on their album of English language covers Les Chansones Populaires
Été 67, on the Belgian (but not French) version of their eponymous first album
Beck–Page's Yardbirds
Iggy and the Stooges
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark as a B-side to the extended-play version of Messages
Phillip Boa & the Voodooclub on the 1989 album Hair
The Riffs on the 2001 album Underground Kicks
Samm Bennett
Sheep on Drugs, on their 1997 album One For The Money
Slaughter & The Dogs, on their 1978 album Do it Dog Style
U.K. Subs, B-side of the 1980 single Warhead
Vanessa Paradis, on her eponymous 1992 English language debut album
Vitamin String Quartet
Fake on their 2007 debut single and later on their "One, Two, Fake You" EP and self-titled album.
Robert Caruso, bonus track to the Ecce Homo CD, 2008
Bauhaus (with Nico) included a live version on Press The Eject And Give Me The Tape
Belle and Sebastian, recorded the song in 2001 and released on the BBC Sessions album
Carole Pope
Cheap Trick included a live recording of the song on the 1996 rarities collection Sex, America, Cheap Trick. Reportedly Robin Zander initially failed to learn the song's lyrics so Tom Petersson would sing it at early concerts.
David Bowie on Bowie at the Beeb. Another version of the song appeared on David Bowie's Live: Santa Monica '72 featuring Mick Ronson on guitar. (This performance was used in the 2000 film Almost Famous.) Bowie also performed the song on his Isolar tour of 1976, and one such performance appears on the Live Nassau Coliseum '76 discs in the 2010 Special Edition and Deluxe Edition box set releases of the Station to Station album.
Debbie Harry frequently ended her live sets with the song between 1989 and 1991.
Gov't Mule performed the song as a tribute to Reed as an encore on October 27, 2013, the night of his death.
The Smashing Pumpkins incorporated the song in their live set list in later years.
Pearl Jam covered the song at a concert in Baltimore upon hearing the news of Reed's death.
Pink Fairies often played the song, as on their reunion live album Live at the Roundhouse 1975.
Red Hot Chili Peppers performed a brief snippet of the song during their 2013 tour in tribute to Lou Reed who had died a few days earlier
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page played the song in their Plant and Page tours. Robert Plant's Priory of Brian also did a cover of the song.
Tom Robinson, released as a live track on Rising Free
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Vic Ruggiero and Kepi Ghoulie
Zwan
Various Echo & the Bunnymen and Ian McCulloch performances
Richard Hawley has covered the song live.
Garbage covered the song on their Bleed Like Me tour Las Vegas show, with guitarist Duke Erikson on vocals.
2 Many DJs compilation album As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2 uses the song's original recording in remixed form.
Death Cab for Cutie's lyric "To a brownstone, up three flights of stairs" in their song "No Joy in Mudville" is a direct, uncredited lift from "I'm Waiting For The Man".
The lyrics were used in the 2002 ballet by Édouard Lock and La La La Human Steps "Amelia" with completely different music by David Lang.
Titus Andronicus includes the lyric "So now in Rock Ridge pharmacy I will be waiting for my man" in the song "No Future Part Three: Escape from No Future" on the album The Monitor.
