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This song is about transvestites 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 that are all cronies of the infamous Andy Warhol Factory, as was Lou. (thanks, Mark - Hexham, England)

"Little Joe" refers to Joe Dallesandero, who was also one of Andy's kids in the factory. He was in several films by Warhol. Sugar Plum Fairy is the nickname of actor Joe Campbell. (thanks, Jamie - New Orleans, LA; Laura - New York, NY)

"Holly," "Candy," and "Jackie" are based on Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling, and Jackie Curtis. They are all real drag queens who appeared in Warhol's 1972 movie Women In Revolt. Woodlawn also appeared in Warhol's 1970 movie Trash, and Curtis was in Warhol's 1968 movie Flesh.

In an interview with The Guardian published December 13, 2008, Holly Woodlawn said: "My father got a job at a hotel, so we moved from New York to Miami Beach. I was going to school, getting stones thrown at me and being beaten up by homophobic rednecks. I felt I deserved better, and I hated football and baseball. So, aged 15, I decided to get the hell out of there and ran away from home. I had $27, so hitchhiked across the USA. I did pluck my eyebrows in Georgia. It hurt! My friend Georgette was plucking them and I was screaming, but all of a sudden I had these gorgeous eyebrows and she put mascara on my eyes. We ran into some marines in Lafayette in South Carolina. They tried to attack me. I was 15 and not used to this stuff. I was sitting in a car with this marine, terrified that he was going to rape me and kill me. I said, 'I've never done this before.' He said, 'You don't wanna have sex with me?' I said it wasn't that I didn't find him attractive, I just didn't want to do it. But he was wonderful. He protected me. While Georgette was in a motel screaming and yelling with 18 marines but having a good time, he said, 'When you're with me, nothing will happen to you.' And they drove us all the way to New Jersey.
In New York I was living on the street. Then I met Jackie Curtis and Candy Darling, and they'd watch Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo movies at 1am. There was this club called Max's Kansas City. Jackie and Candy had just done this movie called Flesh, and they said, 'You have to meet Andy [Warhol]. He's gonna make you a superstar.'
I didn't want to be a superstar. My wig looked like yak hair. One day Jackie put on a show and I was in the chorus. I saw this bag of glitter and a jar of Vaseline, and smeared myself with it and got this boyfriend to throw the glitter on me. [Director] Paul Morrissey said, 'I don't know who she is but she's a star.' Next thing Paul's calling me up to star in a movie called Trash, and the rest is history.
One day a friend called me and said, 'Turn on the radio!' They were playing 'Walk On The Wild Side.' The funny thing is that, while I knew the Velvet Underground's music, I'd never met Lou Reed. I called him up and said, 'How do you know this stuff about me?' He said, 'Holly, you have the biggest mouth in town.' We met and we've been friends ever since."

Reed: "I always thought it would be kind of fun to introduce people to characters they maybe hadn't met before, or hadn't wanted to meet."

This was not banned by the notoriously conservative BBC or by many US radio stations because censors did not understand phrases like "giving head." Depending on the regional US market, the song was edited for what we now call political correctness. Reed leads into the female vocalists' "Doo, doo-doo" hook with the words, "And the colored girls say," but some stations played a version that replaced the phrase with, "And the girls all say." In 1972, 3 to 3-1/2 minute songs were still the rule for radio, so this was edited accordingly. (thanks, Robin - Birmingham, AL)

Reed recorded this 2 years after leaving The Velvet Underground, a band that was very influential, but not commercially successful. Transformer was Reed's second solo album. His first album flopped, and for a while it looked like his music career was over.

David Bowie and Mick Ronson produced this track. They were big fans of Reed.

The sax solo at the end was played by Ronnie Ross, a Jazz musician who lived near Bowie in England. When Bowie was 12 years old, he wanted to learn the saxophone and begged Ross to give him lessons, which he eventually did. When they needed a sax player for this, Bowie made sure Ross was booked for the session, but didn't tell him he'd be there. Ross nailed the solo in one take and Bowie showed up to surprise his old friend.

Reed struggled with his sexuality for most of his life. His parents even tried to "cure" his homosexuality.

This came out at a time when audiences were intrigued by cross-dressing and homosexuality in music. "Glam Rock," where the performers wore feminine clothes, was big, and artists like Bowie and Elton John were attracting fans both gay and straight.

This was a rare venture to the Pop charts for Reed, who is not known for hit singles. This song provided his biggest hit, and it was his only Top-40 in the US.

The famous bass line was played by a session musician named Herbie Flowers. He was paid 17 Pounds for his work.

Three songs on Transformer were commissioned by Andy Warhol for a Broadway musical he was planning based on Nelson Algren's novel A Walk On The Wild Side. The show was never materialized, but Reed kept the title and applied it to characters he knew from Andy Warhol's Factory to create this song. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France).

The female vocalists singing backup on this track were Karen Friedman, Dari Lalou and Casey Synge. In 1974, they recorded as "Thunderthighs" and had a UK hit with "Central Park Arrest."

Rap and Hip-Hop artists frequently sample this track. The most famous appropriation is by A Tribe Called Quest on their 1990 song "Can I Kick It?"

Marky Mark's second single, after "Good Vibrations," was a remake of this called "Wildside." He is now known as Mark Wahlberg and famous for movies like Boogie Nights and Rock Star.

At Live Aid in 1985 at Wembley Stadium, while U2 was playing their song "Bad," Bono improvised 2 Rolling Stones' songs and then this song into the end, changing the lyrics of "Walk On The Wild Side" to: "Holly came from Miami F.L.A., hitchhiked all the way across the USA, she could feel the satellite coming down, pretty soon she was in London town... Wembley Stadium, and all the people went, Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo." He then had the audience sing this line while he walked offstage and the band finished playing. (thanks, katie - somewhere, NJ)

Comments:

I had always thought this had something to do with "Midnight Cowboy" especially the lines about hustling and the name Little Joe. Jon Voight played Joe Buck, a male prostitute living in New York.
- J.D., Columbia, SC

Rich----"Thrillington wasn't out in 1971.
- Micky, Los Angeles, CA

On the back of this album, it states that the 'colored girls' are David Bowie and Mick Ronson.
- Debbie, Possum Kingdom, TX

david bowie was one of the people who sings dut de dut in the background who was the other person
- caris, staten island, NY

Herbie Flowers insists that the 'double my pay' story is true in a BBC interview )but I forget the name of the show it was in!). He also claims that at the session, HE suggested adding the second bass part (but without mentioning the 'double my money' aspect to anyone else!). Everyone was blown away by the result, and it was only afterwards that they realised he would require to be paid double, having cleverly played the second part on bass guitar. If he'd played BOTH parts on double bass, he wouldn't have had the double paycheck!
- Cad, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Sad fact is our heterosexual dominated culture robbed me from knowing this great talent.Why did I only hear of this great song in 1982?seventeen years too late and I was 22 and very angry and frustrated.
- john, Brisbane, United States

As Aaron (New Glasgow, Canada) wrote, there are two bass tracks in this song. First, the upstraight bass was layed down. Then, Flowers suggested he put down a second bass track (electric). The aim was to double his pay, but the result is amazing. The drum track was first played with sticks, but since it sounded like a marching band, they tried with brushes. These things were decided on the spot and really made the song. It's great when you think about it...
- P.A., Paris, --

In a interview Lou Reed said he was shocked that it was ever a hit at all. Apparently many older radio station managers didn't understand the song or the meaning "to giving head" so it was largely unedited in heavy radio play. As far as I know it is the only iconic song to reference oral sex and tranvestites.
- Nathan, Defiance, OH

Stefanie from Rock Hill, SC - what are you talking about, "edited" in most radio versions? It most certainly is not. I've never heard anything BUT the real version on the radio, even in Salt Lake City UT. Is Rock Hill SC the only place this "edited" version is played?
- Cindy, Tempe, AZ

My dad spread a rumor that my Grandma Dorcas, who absolutely can't carry a tune in a bucket, even if she tried, actually "sang" a karaoke version of this, while noodling around on an old pipe organ at Luray Caverns in Virginia.
- Annabelle, Eugene, OR

You can "see" what Lou's singing about. For those who would like to get a sense of what the Andy Warhol scene that Lou sings about - rent "I Shot Andy Warhol" starring Lily Taylor. Lou (rightfully) didn't license any of his songs to the movie, but Candy is a major character. "Factory Girl" is also a good dramatization of that period and group. If you can find it, "Ciao, Manhattan" starring the factory girl herself - Edie Sedgewick, had authentic film from the 60's, and the additional material on the Disk has actual footage of the 'back room' at Max's
- Larry Orchier, New York, NY

good song, but needs more "doo"s
- Sam, Seattle, WA

very smoky undertones..make you stand up and take notice..great job~~Lou Reed.
- BEth, pittsburgh, PA

Herbie was also the bassist in T. Rex in 1977. You can hear him on the "Dandy in the Underworld" album.
- Paul, Rothesay, New Brunswick , Canada

Herbie Flowers also played on Paul McCartneys "Thrillington" album in 1971, He is on the back cover.
- Rich, Birmingham UK, England

Although he wasn't the bassist in the Spiders From Mars, since that was Trevor Bolder. Get your facts right, Cloud
- The Cloud, London, England

Since Herbie Flowers was the bassist for The Spiders From Mars, the seventeen quid story may be apocryphal. Regardless, he would have more than made up for this since he wrote 'Grandad', a big #1 in Britain for Clive Dunn in 1970. In the same vein, Herbie played the oompah tuba on 'Goodnight Ladies', the closing track on 'Transformer'.
- The Cloud, London, England

He did get electroconvulsive therapy to "cure" him of homosexuality, thanks to his parents. He satires it in the song "Kill Your Sons" and is bisexual. An interesting story involving Lou and AC/DC: In Europe ACDC (not AC/DC) is slang for bisexual. Early on in their career AC/DC opened for Lou which lead to some unfortunate confusion. After that a lot of gay clubs tried to book AC/DC.
- Warrinder, A Town, Canada

wasn't lou reed, as a teenager, submitted to electroconvulsive therapy by his parents, who feared he was homosexual?
- amanda, Peace River

Song arrangement by Mick Ronson. Backing vocal by Helen Terry (who sang on Culture Club's Church of the Poison Mind.")
- Don, Newmarket, Canada

I told my dad about Candy's verse, and how it was editted out of most radio versions, and when I told him what the lyrics were for it he obviously thought something was hilarious, because he started cracking up. I told him that I didn't get why that verse was taken out if the people in radio who dealt with those kinds of things didn't know what it meant. I think they knew what it meant, but just didn't want everyone to know.
- Stefanie, Rock Hill, SC

It might not be the best ever, but it is cool anyway.
- Stefanie, Rock Hill, SC

I thought this song was editted because of the verse about "Candy." That verse is pretty ummm... vulgar, and it's the verse that includes the "giving head" part. When I first heard a version with that verse, I was in the car with my sister who had it on a mixed cd. I wasn't offended to hear it, but I was shocked, if that makes sense. I had never heard it before, because that verse is editted out of most radio versions. In fact, I heard it for the first time last summer.
- Stefanie, Rock Hill, SC

This was played on a Sunday night session by Father Joe Duffy for 4 weeks before he finally realised what it meant.
- Jeff, Brisbane

An excellent account of the NY transvestite scene that this song is about appears in the 2004 documentary "Superstar in a Housedress" about the life of Jackie Curtis.
- Steve, Naperville, IL

The bass line is great indeed. I'm also a big fan of A Tribe Called Quest & they put great use to it in "Can I Kick It." I recommend their album 'The Low End Theory,' it's one of my favorite albums which creates a jazz-rap fusion with intellectual lyrics (rare in rap songs these days). With regard to the best bass line ever, it's got to be "Pusherman" by Curtis Mayfield; it's so funky and one can't help jamming along to it.
- Sammy, New York, NY

I forgot to say that the stories Lou Reed creates with his lyrics are awesome. He's one of the singer/songwriter greats.
- Sammy, New York, NY

Herbie Flowers doubled on acoustic and electric bass for the figured bass line. I'll never know how this was ever played on UK radio, except the suits in the BBC never worked out what it was about. The song was from the Transformer album, produced by Bowie when he could do no wrong. And the backing was by 'Thunder Thighs', Do, dee do, do, do dee do doooo!
- Mark, Hereford, England

Which came first, Walk On The Wild Side or I'll Take You There by the Staples Singers?
- charley, San Francisco, CA

coolest bass line... probably ever!
- Stefanie magura, Rock Hill, SC

The "back room" he refers to was the back room of the club Max's Kansas city where a lot of excentric and artsy people of the time hung out including Andy Warhol and Allen ginsburg. The club was know to be the scene of some crazy music and crazy people. The back room was reserved for people like warhol and reed. Drugs were used and sex was regular in the back room which is what this song is about. The back room at Max's Kansas City. Check out there website its very interesting.
- Geoff, Southburough, MA

After watching it again Bonos Lyrics are something like - 'Holly came from Miami FLA, hitchhiked all the way accross the USA, felt the satellite gunning down, pretty soon she was in London town, and all the girls went do do do....'
- Jack Lee, Nottingham, England

Bono sung the opening lines from this at Live Aid in the middle of 'Bad' but changed a few of the lyrics
- Jack Lee, Nottingham, England

Edie Brickell did justice to covering it on the soundtrack to "FLASHBACK" starring Keifer Sutherland and Dennis Hopper.
- C.C., LAKE CHARLES, LA

Of course this sound rocks.One of the best bass lines around.This and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone " by "the TEmptations". Dave T. Holt,MI
- Dave, Holt, MI

There are two bass tracks in this song
- Aaron, New Glasgow, Canada

When David Bowie (then known as David Jones) was a little kid, Ronnie Ross would give him saxophone lessons every Saturday. Years later when they called Ronnie Ross to do the solo, he didn't know that his old student (David Jones)was David Bowie who was extremely popular at the time during his Ziggy-phase. When Ross came into the studio Bowie said, "Hello Mr. Ross. Should I come by Saturday for lessons?" Ross, who was completely shocked said, "Holy S--t! You're Ziggy Stardust!"
- Bryan, Philadelphia, PA

This song is like...wow. The bass line is so smooth it's just like, drift away on it
- Lou, New York, NY

"Walk On The Wild Side" by Lou Reed was also covered by Jamie J. Morgan in 1990. It was his biggest hit and it did quite well on UK charts.
- kaeovo, Zagreb, Europe