B-side "Rock & Roll" Format 7-inch single Length 3:55 | Released August 1973 (1973-08) Genre Glam rock, proto-punk | |
Recorded 1970
Atlantic Studios, New York City | ||
"Sweet Jane" is a song originally performed by the Velvet Underground on their 1970 album Loaded. The song was written by the band's leader, Lou Reed, who continued to incorporate the piece into live performances years later as a solo artist.
Contents
When Loaded was originally released in 1970, the song's bridge was edited out. The box set Peel Slowly and See and reissue Loaded: Fully Loaded Edition restored the missing section.
The song also appears on the albums Live at Max's Kansas City; 1969: The Velvet Underground Live; Peel Slowly and See; Live MCMXCIII; Loaded: Fully Loaded Edition; American Poet; Rock 'n' Roll Animal; Live: Take No Prisoners; Live in Italy; The Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Rock and Roll: an Introduction to The Velvet Underground; NYC Man (The Ultimate Collection 1967–2003); Live on Letterman: Music from The Late Show; and Berlin: Live At St. Ann's Warehouse.
History
There are two distinct versions of "Sweet Jane" with minor variations, spread over its first four releases. The first release of the song, in November 1970, was a version recorded earlier that year and included on Loaded. In May 1972, a live version (recorded August 1970) appeared on the Velvet Underground's Live at Max's Kansas City; this had an additional bridge that was missing from the Loaded release.
In February 1974 a live version recorded in December 1973 (similar to the Loaded version but with extended "intro" and hard rock sound), appeared on Reed's Rock 'n' Roll Animal. The elaborate twin guitar "intro" on the Rock 'n' Roll Animal version was written by Steve Hunter and played by Hunter and Dick Wagner, two Detroit guitarists who would go on to play with Alice Cooper.
In September 1974 a down-tempo live version recorded in late 1969 was included on 1969: The Velvet Underground Live, with a different song structure and lyrics. When a restored version of the original Loaded release was eventually unveiled on Peel Slowly and See in 1995 (and in 1997 on Loaded: Fully Loaded Edition), it turned out that some of the 1969 lyrics (notably the entire bridge as heard on Live at Max's Kansas City) had originally been included in the Loaded version as well, but were scrapped in the final mix.
In a 2005 interview, former Velvet Underground member Doug Yule stated that the main signature "riff" of the song (as it appears on Loaded) was finalized in the studio just before the tracks were recorded, and it was achieved by Lou Reed playing "cranked-up very loud" through a large Sunn amplifier. In addition to recording the bass track, the drums on the recording were also performed by Doug Yule, as Velvet drummer Maureen Tucker was pregnant at the time and not present during the Loaded sessions.
Lou Reed performed "Sweet Jane" in two keys: the 1969 and 1970 versions were in D, as was 1972's American Poet version. On 1973's Rock 'n' Roll Animal, and 1978's Take No Prisoners, the song is in E, while on 1984's Live in Italy the song is back in D.
Cover versions
Rankings
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #342 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Sweet Jane" at number 18 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
Guitar World ranked "Sweet Jane" at number 81 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.