+ scroll down for Perfect Day, Vicious and Satellite of Love, also from Transformer
Australian singles charts:
Walk on the Wild Side entered the Kent charts on 23 April 1973 and peaked at #100.
Album:
The song is on Transformer which entered the Kent album charts on 9 April 1973 and peaked at #12.
Songwriter:
Lou Reed
Producers:
David Bowie, Mick Ronson
Record label of Australian release:
RCA Victor
BONUS CLIPS BELOW: the five people sung about in Walk on the Wild Side explained, and some words about Warhol himself, plus three other songs from the Transformer album: Perfect Day, Vicious and Satellite of Love (studio & live versions)
Wikipedia:
Walk on the Wild Side was produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, and received wide radio coverage. It became Reed’s biggest single, despite it touching on taboo topics such as transgender people, drugs, male prostitution, and oral sex. In the United States, RCA released an edited version of the song without the reference to oral sex.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_on_the_Wild_Side_(Lou_Reed_song)
Songfacts:
This song is about cross-dressers who come to New York City and become prostitutes. “Take a walk on the wild side” is what they say to potential customers. Each verse introduces a new character. There is Holly, Candy, Little Joe, Sugar Plum Fairy, and Jackie. The characters are all members of the famous Andy Warhol Factory, as was Lou.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/lou-reed/walk-on-the-wild-side
Lyrics:
Holly came from Miami, F.L.A.
Hitch-hiked her way across the U.S.A.
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
She says, “Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side”
Said, “Hey honey, take a walk on the wild side”
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 70s
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
BONUS CLIPS
Who were Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling, Little Joe, Joe Campbell and Jackie Curtis? The subjects of the song explained:
Perfect Day, written by Lou Reed, also from Transformer:
Vicious, written by Lou Reed, also from Transformer:
Satellite of Love, written by Lou Reed, also from Transformer:
Satellite of Love, live in 1984:
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