I'm Waiting for the Man

About I'm Waiting for the Man

"I'm Waiting for the Man" (sometimes titled "I'm Waiting for My Man") is a song by the American rock band the Velvet Underground, written by Lou Reed. It was first released on their 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. The song is about waiting on a streetcorner in Harlem, near the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 125th Street, in New York City and purchasing $26 worth of heroin (equivalent to $211 in 2019), sung from the point of view of the purchaser, who has presumably traveled to Harlem from another part of the city; the "man" in the title is a drug dealer. Along with traditional guitars, bass, and drums, the song also features pounding, percussive rock-and-roll barrelhouse-style piano. It is one of the band's more popular songs, and one of their many compositions featuring drugs as subject matter. After leaving the band in 1970, Lou Reed continued to incorporate it into his solo live performances. It was released as a single in October 1971 (with "There She Goes Again" on the B-side) credited to "Andy Warhol's Velvet Underground" on MGM Records. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #159 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song would go on to influence David Bowie in the writing of his 1977 song "'Heroes'". more »