In the latest controversy that’s been dominating the entertainment wires, the rock legend Lou Reed was widely reported to turn down Susan Boyle’s request to cover his song “Perfect Day” (off his 1972 album Transformer) on the America’s Got Talent program.
TMZ picked up the story and reported that Boyle “flew back to London in tears” upon hearing this news of Reed’s refusal, and since then Reed’s reps have been backpedaling and claiming it was last minute red tape and that the song was “only cleared for use in her native UK, not in the US.” Show creator Simon Cowell has since entered the fray, branding Reed’s behavior “petty” and “pathetic” recently in an interview on the BBC.
Whether you’re for or against Reed’s reported decision, there’s several reasons in Reed’s defense that must be acknowledged as to why he, the composer of the original material, has every right to tell Simon Cowell, Susan Boyle, and America’s Got Talent to “take a hike” – (or as Reed once sang in his live version of “Heroin” from his live album Rock & Roll Animal ) “you can all go take a f***ing walk!”
1. It’s his song.
That’s right! If you – the artist – compose a song from the ground up, and you don’t want to see your song performed live on a TV program, in a commercial, or featured in a film – that’s your right since you composed the song. Regardless of the reasons, it’s your song, and you (as the artist) can do as you like with it. One of the benefits of composing your own material to perform!
2. Songs are personal – and not necessarily about profit right?
Reed first composed this song in late 1971, and the only times this song HAS been covered by high profile artists, it was notably for charity (as a recent UK charity-single featuring David Bowie and an all-star cast covering “Perfect Day” proved), OR when he decided to accompany the artist (as he did with Luciano Pavoratti) back in 2001 (which can be seen here…) Charity or personal accompaniment aside, Simon Cowell doesn’t have a leg to stand on when he’s claiming loads of artists have covered this song…Yes they have Simon, but Reed’s obviously put charity performances first and foremost in the considerations, and he can veto your requests (or Ms Boyle’s). That’s his right as the composer of the original material.
3. Maybe Lou Reed doesn’t wish to endorse America’s Got Talent?
Perhaps Lou Reed doesn’t want one of his treasured songs being used as an advertising vehicle for a potential fly-by-night TV show that he’s likely not a fan of? We can guess Lou Reed likely isn’t glued to his television set waiting for the next episode of America’s Got Talent, and it’s his 100% given-right as the composer of the material to say “You know what? I think your show is awful – please don’t use my material for it.” Some artists are willing to sell their songs to commercials and let their material appear on shows for a share of the royalties. Reed has always been sensitive on this subject and we can guess he holds this particular song in high regard – maybe he doesn’t want to tarnish or (some might say) “cheapen” the song? This reason can also be titled “artistic integrity”.
4. Maybe he really ISN’T a fan of Susan Boyle?
Stop the press! Maybe Reed wasn’t as boiled over as the rest of the country when Boyle came out and sang “I Dreamed a Dream” on Britain’s Got Talent? Reed’s reasoning for turning down Boyle might be awfully similar to why The Cure had turned down Paul Young back in the mid-80’s when Young approached the UK band about covering their song Boys Don’t Cry. (As recounted in A Visual Documentary by Paul Thompson.) When The Cure’s vocalist Robert Smith was asked about this “snub” by a reporter, he responded: “[Young] asked us for our blessing but I said “no” – I couldn’t imagine anything worse….”. However, Young’s fortunes changed when Daryl Hall had given him permission to cover one of his lesser-known songs “Every Time You Go Away” in 1985, and the song ended up becoming Young’s sole monster-Top Ten hit song in the US. Maybe Susan Boyle might benefit from this current fall-out by accepting song donations by other artists, in lieu of writing her own?
5. He’s Lou Reed
His artistic contributions to rock need no introduction. His musical-genre-inventing work with The Velvet Underground landed him critical praise, and legions of rock musicians have since cited Reed as an “influence”. Reed can do whatever he damn well pleases, and he always has for the past 40 years and this stance has kept Reed still going strong. While many other sixties musicians are either dead & buried, or re-generating the same material over and over again, Reed’s latest recordings have been arguably experimental and “new”. His artistic stance has served him well to this day, why should he be forced to change it now?
Unless Reed comes out and permits Boyle to cover the song, or he helps iron out whatever behind-the-scenes snaffoo his reps have been belatedly claiming, the legions of upset Susan Boyle fans might do themselves a favor and remember that the world doesn’t revolve around their dearest Susan, and that she might be better off seeking material elsewhere or dare we say – compose her own to perform on the program.
If any lesson is to be learned from this debate, maybe Simon Cowell and the rest of the entertainment industry might recognize the value in artists that write & perform their own material live – as opposed to artists that strictly depend on others for their own artistic stabilities – or lackthereof. – Dennis Tyhacz
Courtesy of JournalismNow.com's Music Page
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