Re: Lou Reed, the Coda King

My WFMU homies got into a big discussion about codas, those little tunes tacked onto the end of songs, and after we mentioned obvious ones like “Layla,” “Crimson and Clover,” “Hello Goodbye,” it became apparent that Lou Reed, both with the Velvet Underground and solo, really utilized this trick to great effect:

-“Femme Fatale”
-“I’ll Be Your Mirror”
- the doo-wop ending of “Candy Says”
-“Beginning To See The Light” (the “how does it feel to be loved”
part)
-“I’m Sticking With You”
-“Sweet Jane”
-“Satellite of Love” (w/Bowie vox)
- "Perfect Day" (“You're gonna reap just what you sow...”)
-“New Age” (the live version of this, like “Hey Jude”, features a coda that might go on longer than the actual song)

Probably more?

The realization of how Reed used codas helps me understand how a man who really did often just use only 3 basic chords could write so many great songs. DAMN he was clever.

The Stone Roses Bye Bye Badman I have always loved from the first time I heard it until this day. The fast ending after the snare hits has always reminded me of those beach romp movies from the 60's where everyone is jamming out on the beach. Love it!

"Blazing Apostles" - Be Bop Deluxe (the live version, from Live! In the Air Age)
"Miracles Out of Nowhere" - Kansas
"She" - Kiss (they copied that coda from one of their earlier tunes, "Let Me Know")

What's the opposite of a coda? Roxy Music's "Mother of Pearl" would be up for consideration, although neither section of the song sounds to me as if it had been developed in service to the other.

I was also wondering about "Mother of Pearl." We need an Italian musicology word for "two songs stuck together."

> We need an Italian musicology word for "two songs stuck together."

Perhaps a conflation, like canzonegati.