Throughout its long-standing history and beloved prominence, the portrayals of New York City are often skewed towards romanticization rather than reality. Shiny yellow taxi cabs weaving through traffic, warm steam rising from manhole covers, pigeons fluttering over a bagel with schmear; these are the cliché cornerstones that have dominated New York City’s blurry presence in popular culture. But the release of “I’m Waiting For The Man” by The Velvet Underground provided one of the clearest musical documents of New York City that still rings true even after nearly six decades.
“I’m Waiting For The Man” was recorded in May 1966 at TTG Studios. The song was released alongside the band’s now framed tracks “Venus in Furs” and “Heroin” 10 months later on March 12, 1967 on The Velvet Underground’s debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. At the time of their debut, The Velvet Underground consisted of its classic and most beloved lineup; front man, singer and guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison and percussionist Moe Tucker.
The lyrics of “I’m Waiting For The Man” follow a narrator beginning to feel the effects of drug withdrawal, traveling to a Harlem brownstone on Lexington and 125th Street with $26 in hand, where he waits on the street’s corner for his dealer, who is referred to as “the man” throughout the track. “The man” eventually meets the narrator, who purchases and takes the heroin, his anxiety and apprehension melting away as the euphoric effects of the drug take effect. Reed wrote “I’m Waiting For The Man” by drawing on his own life and unique experiences living in New York City. But the track bears more truth than meets the ear, as according to an interview with Rolling Stone, Reed once said, “Everything about that song holds true, except the price.”
“I’m Waiting For The Man” is structured around repetition with its steady pulse, churning rhythm and cyclical verse pattern. The song is as habitual as its story, as its narrator and his addiction; endlessly pulling the listener to the very same street corner where the narrator anxiously awaits “the man” until they find themselves just as impatient and sickly keen as he is.
The endless appeal of “I’m Waiting For The Man” stems from that fact that it neither condones or condemns the narrator’s actions and experiences. He is not portrayed as a victim of the heroin crisis plaguing the country or a perpetuator of that very same narcotic plague. He is merely a man at the mercy of his own life, just as New York City is at the mercy of the lives of the people who inhabit it; and both demand that you take nothing more than what resonates and leave the rest behind.
At the time of its release, “I’m Waiting For The Man” arguably painted the most faithful portrait of New York City, albeit not the most flattering. This vibrant, bustling hub of creative energy and boundless life, easily considered one of the United States’ crown jewels at the time was reduced to a suspicious street corner troubled by the societal pitfalls of the decade.
This iteration of New York street life catapulted The Velvet Underground to an era far beyond their time where The Velvet Underground & Nico was neglected and dismissed by critics, the album ultimately deemed a commercial failure.
But in the nearly 60 years since The Velvet Underground & Nico was first released, the album has been reevaluated and deemed one of the most iconic and influential albums of all time. It has been credited with laying the groundwork for the punk, alternative and indie rock genres and “I’m Waiting For The Man” specifically has been established as a “proto-punk classic”. Though the biggest success of “I’m Waiting For The Man” by The Velvet Underground comes far and wide from the song’s pioneering of the portrayal of New York City that championed an appreciation and admiration for the raw reality that makes the city so special.
“I’m Waiting For The Man” by The Velvet Underground Lyrics
I’m waiting for my man
Got twenty-six dollars in my hand
Up to Lexington, 125
Feel sick and dirty, more dead than alive
I’m waiting for my man
Hey, white boy, what you doin’ uptown?
Hey, white boy, you chasin’ our women around?
Oh pardon me sir, it’s the furthest from my mind
I’m just lookin’ for a dear, dear friend of mine
I’m waiting for my man
Here he comes, he’s all dressed in black
PR shoes and a big straw hat
He’s never early, he’s always late
First thing you learn is you always gotta wait
I’m waiting for my man
Up to a Brownstone, up three flights of stairs
Everybody’s pinned you, but nobody cares
He’s got the works, gives you sweet taste
Ah then you gotta split because you got no time to waste
I’m waiting for my man
Baby don’t you holler, darlin’ don’t you bawl and shout
I’m feeling good, you know I’m gonna work it on out
I’m feeling good, I’m feeling oh so fine
Until tomorrow, but that’s just some other time
I’m waiting for my man
I’m waiting for my man
I’m waiting for my man
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