De titelsong van het uit 1975 daterende Coney Island Baby, Lou Reed’s – in elk geval tot dan – warmste en meest romantische album. Alleen het nummer Kicks herinnert nog aan de oude Lou Reed: “When the blood comes down his neck/Don’t you know it was better than sex“. Lou’s leven was in 1975 in wat rustiger vaarwater beland en hij zwierde niet langer vermomd als de dood van Pierlala over de podia, wat voor een belangrijk deel te danken was aan zijn toenmalige vriendin (en muze) Rachel Humphreys.
Coney Island Baby is een ode aan de liefde, aan Rachel en aan alle mensen die in jou blijven geloven, óók wanneer je zelf denkt dat je waardeloos bent: But remember the princess who lived on the hill/Who loved you even though she knew you was wrong/And right now she just might come shining through.
You know, man, when I was a young man in high school
You believe in or not, that I wanted to play football for the coach
And all those older guys
They said that he was mean and cruel but you know
I wanted to play football, for the coach
They said I was a little too lightweight to play lineback and so I’m playing right-end
Wanted to play football for the coach
‘Cause, you know some day, man you gotta stand up straight unless you’re gonna fall
Then you’re going to die
And the straightest dude I ever knew was standing right for me, all the time
So I had to play football for the coach
And I wanted to play football for the coach
When you’re all alone and lonely
In your midnight hour
And you find that your soul
It has been up for sale
And you’re getting to think about
All the things that you done
And you’re getting to hate
Just about everything
But remember the princess who lived on the hill
Who loved you even though she knew you was wrong
And right now she just might come shining through
And the
Glory of love
Glory of love
Glory of love, just might come through
And all your two-bit friends have gone and ripped you off
They’re talking behind your back saying “man, you are never going to be no human being”
And you start thinking again about all those things that you’ve done
And who it was and what it was
And all the different things that made every different scene
Ah, but remember that the city is a funny place
Something like a circus or a sewer
And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes
And the
Glory of love
The glory of love
The glory of love, might see you through
Yeah, but now, now
Glory of love
The glory of love
The glory of love might see you through
Glory of love, uh, huh-huh
The glory of love
Glory of love, glory of love
Glory of love, now, glory of love, now
Glory of love, now, now, now, glory of love
Glory of love, give it to me now, glory of love to see you through, huh
Oh, my Coney Island baby, now
I’m a Coney Island baby, now
I’d like to send this one out to Lou and Rachel
And all the kids at P.S. one-ninety-two (Coney Island baby)
Man, I’d swear, I’d give the whole thing up for you
Uitgelichte afbeelding: At the end of the title track, Reed dedicates the song to “all the kids at P.S. 192”, referencing the P.S. 192 – Magnet School for Math & Science Inquiry, in Brooklyn, New York, where Reed went to school. By Jim.henderson – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19333264
