Femme Fatale (song)

"Femme Fatale" is a song by American rock band the Velvet Underground from their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico, with lead vocals by Nico.^[1]

"Femme Fatale"
Single b/w "Sunday Morning"
Single by the Velvet Underground and Nico
from the album The Velvet Underground & Nico
A-side	"Sunday Morning"
Released	December 1966 (1966-12) (single) March 1967 (album)
Recorded	April 1966
Studio	Scepter,[1] New York City
Genre	Pop[2] doo wop[3]
Length	2:35
Label	Verve
Songwriter(s)	Lou Reed
Producer(s)	Andy Warhol
The Velvet Underground and Nico singles chronology
"All Tomorrow's Parties" / "I'll Be Your Mirror" (1966) "Femme Fatale" / "Sunday Morning" (1966) "White Light/White Heat" / "Here She Comes Now" (1968)

Background

The song was composed in the key of C major.^[4] At the request of Andy Warhol, band frontman Lou Reed wrote the song about Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick. According to Reed, the title was inspired by Warhol saying, about Sedgwick, "Oh, don't you think she's a femme fatale, Lou?"^[5][6]

The song was recorded with vocals by Nico.^[1] Guitarist Sterling Morrison said of the title:

[Nico] always hated that. Nico, whose native language is minority French, would say "The name of this song is 'Fahm Fatahl'." Lou and I would sing it our way. Nico hated that. I said, "Nico, hey, it's my title, I'll pronounce it my way".^[7]

"Femme Fatale" was recorded at the Scepter Studios in New York in April 1966 while the studio was still under construction.^[1][8] It was released as a B-Side to "Sunday Morning" in December 1966.^[9] The following year it was included in their debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. A 1969 live recording of the song was included in Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes released in 2001.^[1]

Critical reception

AllMusic critic Mark Deming thought that "Femme Fatale" was among the four best songs on the album.^[10] American music journalist Stephen Davis called "Femme Fatale" a beautiful song that portrays the vivid, conflicted and emotional undercurrents of 1966.^[11]  

Personnel

• Nico – lead vocals
• Lou Reed – lead guitar, backing vocals
• John Cale – piano, bass
• Sterling Morrison – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Maureen Tucker – snare drum, tambourine

References

1. Inman, Davis (October 31, 2011). "The Velvet Underground And Nico, "Femme Fatale"". American Songwriter.
2. A. Zak (December 22, 2000). The Velvet Underground Companion: Four Decades of Commentary. Music Sales Group. p. 78. ISBN 0-8256-7242-2.
3. https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/best-velvet-underground-songs/
4. "Femme Fatale". Musicnotes. 10 October 2011.
5. Heatley, Michael; Hopkinson, Frank (2014). The Girl in the Song: The Real Stories Behind 50 Rock Classics. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-909396-88-3.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
6. Bockris, Victor (1994). Transformer: The Lou Reed Story. New York City: Simon & Schuster. p. 107. ISBN 0-684-80366-6. Andy said I should write a song about Edie Sedgwick. I said 'Like what?' and he said 'Oh, don't you think she's a femme fatale, Lou?' So I wrote 'Femme Fatale' and we gave it to Nico. (Lou Reed)
7. Harvard, Joe (2004). The Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground and Nico. New York City: Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 98–100. ISBN 978-0-8264-1550-9.
8. The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion. Canongate Books. 2007. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-84195-973-3.
9. Maximum Rock 'n' Roll. 1994.
10. Deming, Mark. "The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground & Nico". AllMusic.
11. Davis, Stephen (2005). Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend. New York City: Penguin Publishing Group. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-101-21827-3.