Musician and singer from the band Wilco, Jeff Tweedy has released a new song, “Loud Reed Was My Babysitter.” The track, off Tweedy’s forthcoming triple album Twilight Override, also received a music video. The video can be found on the YouTube channel for Wilco.
As the title suggests, the track is in tribute to the late Velvet Underground singer Lou Reed. With a repeated lyric of “the dead don’t die,” Tweedy honors the impact Reed had on his own life and on many others. Speaking on the title more, Tweedy says it references “the joy in this dark music that Lou Reed made, and the beautiful conflict that it creates when you try and analyze it. And how it was such a positive force for so many people.” He continued, “‘My life was saved by rock and roll’—Lou Reed is saying the same thing. I was babysat by fucking Lou Reed, literally, in my bedroom as a 10-year-old, 12-year-old kid. His music was a more legitimate mentor to me than most of my teachers.” The video, directed by Austin Vesely, features Tweedy performing in a cramped room to a crowd bouncing along with the music, creating an overall homely atmosphere in line with the vibes of the song itself.
“Lou Reed Was My Babysitter” is one of many singles off the upcoming Twilight Override, Tweedy’s three disc album set for release on September 26th. The album’s three discs are stated to each function as standalone works, but come together to form a narrative of past, present and future. “I’m not trying to imply that I had this all mapped out as a story,” Tweedy said. “The way that this ended up falling together and being arranged—it does tell a story that I think I wanted to tell. That’s what a process does for me.”
Leave a Comment