The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964, centered on the songwriting partnership of Lou Reed and John Cale. Taken under the wing of Andy Warhol, who briefly managed the group and folded them into his Factory scene, they became the house band for his multimedia Exploding Plastic Inevitable shows, often performing alongside the German singer Nico on their debut album.

Musically the band stood apart from the psychedelic optimism of their era, pairing Reed's blunt, literate lyrics about drug addiction, sadomasochism and street life with Cale's avant-garde training in drone and dissonance. Songs such as «Heroin», «Venus in Furs» and «I'm Waiting for the Man» pushed rock toward starker, more confrontational territory, while quieter tracks like «Sunday Morning» and «Pale Blue Eyes» showed a gentler, melodic side. Their 1967 debut, The Velvet Underground & Nico, sold modestly on release but became one of the most influential records in rock history.

Despite Cale's departure after their second album and Reed's own exit a few years later, the band's catalogue — including «Sweet Jane» and «Femme Fatale» — went on to shape punk, art rock and alternative music for decades. Reed and Cale both built significant solo careers afterward, and the Velvet Underground's reputation only grew posthumously, cementing their status as one of the most important groups of the 1960s despite minimal commercial success at the time.