I never saw the Velvet Underground or heard Lou Reed live.

Those gaps were added to missing Woodstock or opting to see Sha-Na-Na instead of David Bowie in 1971, but one spring night in 1970 I was lying on the sofa with my high school sweetheart. Kyla’s mother was out with her Portugese boyfriend and her ten-year brother was upstairs asleep. She and I were graduating at the end of the semester. We had been going steady for two years and the seventeen year-old cheerleader resisted few of my above-the-waist advances that evening.

Our future was written in the stars.

It was past 10pm and the radio was turned to the FM.

WBCN.

Charles Laquidara cued up a new Velvet Underground LP and announced the track ROCK AND ROLL.

I stopped fondling Kyla’s breasts and listened to every word, as if they had been written for me and thousands of other mes around the world. The singer told a story I wanted to live and that desire meant change.

At the end of the song Kyla asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

And I kissed her knowing that we weren’t going to the senior prom or getting married and that I wasn’t getting a job at the telephone company.

All, because of ROCK AND ROLL.

And it was all right.

Today Lou Reed, the writer/singer, of the Velvet Underground left the Here-Now.

For all of us marginals he was a giant and will be missed, but his music will live in the Here-To-Come as long as live and breathe and everyone else knows it’s alright.

Long Live Lou Reed

Lyrics to ROCK AND ROLL

Jenny said when she was just five years old
There was nothin’ happenin’ at all
Every time she puts on a radio
There was nothin’ goin’ down at all,
Not at all
Then one fine mornin’ she puts on a New York station
You know, she don’t believe what she heard at all
She started shakin’ to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by rock ‘n’ roll
Despite all the amputations you know you could just go out
And dance to the rock ‘n’ roll station

It was alright
It was allright
Hey baby
You know it was allright
It was allright

Jenny said when she was just bout five years old
You know my parents are gonna be the death of us all
Two TV sets and two Cadillac cars –
Well you know it ain’t gonna help me at all
Not just a little tiny bit
Then one fine mornin’ she turns on a New York station
She doesn’t believe what she hears at all
Ooh, She started dancin’ to that fine fine music
You know her life is saved by rock ‘n’ roll,
Yeah, rock n’ roll
Despite all the computations
You could just dance to that rock ‘n’ roll station

And baby it was allright
And it was alright
Hey it was allright
It was allright
Hey here she comes now!
Jump! Jump!

Like Jenny said when she was just bout’ five years old
Hey you know there’s nothin’ happenin’ at all
Not at all
Every time I put on the radio,
You know there’s nothin’ goin’ down at all,
Not at all
But one fine mornin’ she hears a New York station
She doesn’t believe what she heard at all
Hey, not at all
She started dancin’ to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by rock ‘n’ roll
Yeah rock ‘n’ roll
Ooh, Despite all the computations
You know you could just dance to the rock ‘n’ roll station

Allright, allright
And it was allright
Oh, you listen to me now
And it was allright
C’mon now
Little better
Little bit
It was allright
It was allright
And it was allright, allright
It’s allright, allright
Baby it’s allright, now
Allright, baby it’s allright, now
Baby it’s allright, allright now
Baby it’s allright
Baby it’s allright now
Oh baby,oh baby
Oh baby, Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
It’s allright, now
Ooh, it’s allright now
All, allright.

To hear ROCK AND ROLL please go to this URL