Velvet Underground "After Hours"

I was at a pumpkin carving party on Saturday with my wife and kids, when someone looked up from their phone and said, "Lou Reed died."

Looking at Facebook a few hours later, my feed was filled with Reed songs.  Obvious choices like "Walk On The Wild Side" and "Perfect Day."  Less obvious ones like "Street Hassle" and "Vicious."

Funny enough, the first song I thought of was one he wrote, but didn't sing.  Because it encapsulated my thoughts on his passing.

Back in the day, when the parties I went to didn't have pumpkins or children, but instead had copious amounts of alcohol, the Reed-penned/Moe Tucker sung/Velvet Underground song "After Hours" was our choice for our end-of-the-night anthem.

And if you close the door
the night could last forever
Leave the sunshine out
and say hello to never

It would be 6 in the morning.  The sun would be coming up.  We knew the party was over.  We'd always known that the party would end.

But we didn't want it to end.  There was always this kind of faint hope that the fun could continue, that we'd never tire, that the night could last forever.

I can't say that I'd thought about Lou Reed in the last few days (it had been a couple weeks).  I wasn't wondering if he were alive or dead.

And after I heard "Lou Reed died" today, I immediately wished I could un-hear it.  That I could close the door and go on assuming that Lou Reed was still out there, being Lou Reed.

Parties end.  Rock stars pass away.  You say goodbyes.  Things change.

But sometimes you just want to put on an old record and pretend, even for 2 minutes and 10 seconds, to say hello to never.


Hear the song on Youtube.