My Top 2000 Songs #1146: Stephanie Says

One of Lou Reed's most beautiful ballads, "Stephanie Says" is also one of rock's great lost songs, recorded in 1968 but left in the vault until finally being officially unearthed for 1985's collection of Velvet Underground leftovers, VU. (I talked about my recreation of this Great Lost Album just last week.) The track was recorded after 1968's noisy, abrasive White Light/White Heat, but before co-founder John Cale had left the band, showing that Reed was already moving in the gentler, quieter direction heard on 1969's Velvet Underground before before Cale was replaced with Doug Yule.

There's a bit of mystery to the song--I can't say I see the significance of the "it's so cold in Alaska" refrain--but it's also one of Reed's most enchanting, sentimental numbers. (He later reworked the song for "Caroline Says II" on the somber 1973 Berlin LP.)

Brief deployment in The Royal Tenenbaums:

Bettie Serveert live cover:

Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo:

1989 cover from Pumpkin Fairies (who evolved into Slowdive and Mojave 3):

Tele Novella cover:

Doug Martsch of Built To Spill (Note: audio/video don't appear synced):