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Perfect Day Lyrics
Just a perfect day
Drink Sangria in the park
And then later when it gets dark
We go home
Just a perfect day
Feed animals in the zoo
Then later a movie, too
And then home
Oh, it's such a perfect day
I'm glad I spend it with you
Oh, such a perfect day
You just keep me hanging on
You just keep me hanging on
Just a perfect day
Problems all left alone
Weekenders on our own
It's such fun
Just a perfect day
You made me forget myself
I thought I was someone else
Someone good
Oh, it's such a perfect day
I'm glad I spent it with you
Oh, such a perfect day
You just keep me hanging on
You just keep me hanging on
You're going to reap just what you sow
You're going to reap just what you sow
You're going to reap just what you sow
You're going to reap just what you sow
I can't believe people would say that this is a happy song. This is probably the most depressing song I've ever heard. I don't know if it's explicitly about heroin as some people have stated, but the lyrics seem to imply that he feels worthless, and can only experience happniess through temporary escapes. And this is what he considers to be a 'perfect day', when he forgets who he is ('you made me forget myself / I thought I was someone else / someone good'). If that's not depressing, I don't know what is.
Right on target, Jeema It is a creepy, depressing, brilliant emotional song. I can't believe I was so stupid as to not associate this song with heroin addiction, as heroin was such a big part of Lou Reed's life, and as so many other songs are likely about the same subject (e.g., Personal Jesus).
Right on target, Jeema It is a creepy, depressing, brilliant emotional song. I can't believe I was so stupid as to not associate this song with heroin addiction, as heroin was such a big part of Lou Reed's life, and as so many other songs are likely about the same subject (e.g., Personal Jesus).
@Bgoh that’s the thing - from what I understand, heroin was NOT a big part of Lou Reed’s life. The drug that Lou Reed struggled with for years was amphetamine. I’m not saying I know what Lou’s intentions were, (and I’m not saying Lou didn’t ever use, or struggle with heroin, but speed was his drug of choice. Then, later, alcohol - listen to the Blue Mask for THOSE songs) but I don’t think the song is “about” heroin (insofar as it’s considered a love song to heroin - or any other drug), I think maybe drugs are one reason...
@Bgoh that’s the thing - from what I understand, heroin was NOT a big part of Lou Reed’s life. The drug that Lou Reed struggled with for years was amphetamine. I’m not saying I know what Lou’s intentions were, (and I’m not saying Lou didn’t ever use, or struggle with heroin, but speed was his drug of choice. Then, later, alcohol - listen to the Blue Mask for THOSE songs) but I don’t think the song is “about” heroin (insofar as it’s considered a love song to heroin - or any other drug), I think maybe drugs are one reason he feels worthless, but I think the song is an ode to his significant other at the time.
I am not sure if all the talk about PD being about heroin started with Trainspotting, but it certainly added to that interpretation (24 years after the song was released).
@Jeema I agree, and the "you're gonna reap just what you sow" is haunting
@Jeema I agree, and the "you're gonna reap just what you sow" is haunting
Coming from a former Heroin addict. This song IS about heroin. No matter what you take away from this song, anything is great btw, don't want to put anyone down. This song is quite most likely referring the double edge sword that is opiate/heroin addiction. So I may be a little biased on this song meaning because of my previous opiate addiction and seeing trainspotting, but it describes to a TEE what i experienced as a heroin addict.
Feel no pain, no emotions, no harm, no foul, no hardships. Things may not be GREAT, but it just kept me hanging on. Problems fell by the wayside, for all I care I was a weekend warrior who only cared about heroin when not working. This relationship is unrealistic as heroin slowly seeps into your life as a functional addict. Eventually you need it to deal with any aspect of life. Death in the family? Unbearable, use heroin. Life? Unbearable, use heroin. Boredom? Lovelessness? Depression? Insomnia? No matter, heroin will be your girlfriend, your close friend, your hero, hell it even has a GREAT personality. Take what you will from this song, but I am pretty sure I get it.
lets just say its about an addict... heroin or otherwise.
lets just say its about an addict... heroin or otherwise.
This song in no way explicitly mentions heroin. Its simply about putting one's problems on hold and ignoring real life to be with someone. You've taken that "someone" and interpreted it as heroin.
This song in no way explicitly mentions heroin. Its simply about putting one's problems on hold and ignoring real life to be with someone. You've taken that "someone" and interpreted it as heroin.
sure its a pop song, its about anything anyone wants but
sure its a pop song, its about anything anyone wants but
it was definitely inspired by heroin. especially at this time lou was probably going through hit share of h. im sure lou was doing more meth but this song is what getting off on opiates feels like
it was definitely inspired by heroin. especially at this time lou was probably going through hit share of h. im sure lou was doing more meth but this song is what getting off on opiates feels like
You're reading too much into it. Can we just accept that Lou is not a totally fucked up guy and actually had a decent day with someone he liked? Why does every song have to be about drugs on this site, fucking christ. He's not one to use extended metaphors about heroin. I know this because he wrote this song called "Heroin"? He was pretty straightforward with that. The song was used in the movie for dramatic irony.
You're reading too much into it. Can we just accept that Lou is not a totally fucked up guy and actually had a decent day with someone he liked? Why does every song have to be about drugs on this site, fucking christ. He's not one to use extended metaphors about heroin. I know this because he wrote this song called "Heroin"? He was pretty straightforward with that. The song was used in the movie for dramatic irony.
You're gonna reap just what you so - pretty much that thought that when the junk wears off, detox awaits. And if you've ever been dependent on opiates, you know how FUN that is.
You're gonna reap just what you so - pretty much that thought that when the junk wears off, detox awaits. And if you've ever been dependent on opiates, you know how FUN that is.
I agree with this poster. Personal experience with drugs does make one qualified to judge if somebody is describing a relationship with a drug. Maybe Lou Reed is more to the point and wouldn't put hidden meanings in his songs. I don't know much about him. I just know that every word fits the drug interpretation to me. According to The Independent article Reed said "That's a lovely song. A description of a very straightforward affair." He didn't say who or what the affair was with. I think that it is not necessarily correct to believe that the songwriter himself...
I agree with this poster. Personal experience with drugs does make one qualified to judge if somebody is describing a relationship with a drug. Maybe Lou Reed is more to the point and wouldn't put hidden meanings in his songs. I don't know much about him. I just know that every word fits the drug interpretation to me. According to The Independent article Reed said "That's a lovely song. A description of a very straightforward affair." He didn't say who or what the affair was with. I think that it is not necessarily correct to believe that the songwriter himself is fully conscious of what he is writing about. If we know that he was using drugs at the time, this could have subtly influenced the creative process.
I have been using opiates for quite a while and have never experienced physical tolerance/withdrawl and would say that I have had some bad (borderline addiction) and some good (successful self medication) results.
Injecting heroin would create a sudden onset and a shorter duration of effects, but the effects of opiates that I have used gradually unfold over a period of 12 hours, thus creating a "perfect day" which comes to a peaceful resolution after "dark." Maybe he could have been repeatedly shooting up at the locations mentioned in the song though.
In my experience, you may look back at the end and think "that was a perfect day". It doesn't matter what you are doing. I could be running errands, visiting friends, or becoming very introverted as described in the song. One would certainly be content doing mundane activities like going to the zoo or seeing a movie. The repeated references to "home" could refer to the anticipation of lying down at the end of the day and experiencing what is known as "the nod".
"Problems left alone": the application to opiates is obvious.
"Weekenders on our own": Weekend warrior. Drugs distinct from the workday routine. Time to be completely free with no responsibilities.
"You just keep me hanging on". Drugs as a solace to get through all the BS.
The bittersweet mood is felt with mild guilt buried beneath the high and the knowledge that things won't stay so "perfect".
I see the song as very uplifting, but that is just my own bias as I see using drugs as an ethical choice to avoid getting caught up in the evils of society. The evil is seen in all types of relationships and in work, but more than anything in romantic relationships. Competition, environmental destruction, greed, manipulation, phoneyness. Drugs stand apart from all this, hence making you "forget yourself" (your ego and habits) and see yourself as "someone good" (spiritually pure). Forget your neuroticism. Be very polite and agreeable. More social, never getting angry or frustrated.
"You're going to reap just what you sow" can be seen as a double-edged sword. Literally savouring the the abundant poppy harvest and spreading the joy to other people in the park. A gift from god. Or gradually sinking into physical addiction and having your life fall apart around you (what did you expect?).
Lazy day with your girlfriend or lazy day on opiates. Whatever interpretation best resonates with you. It's not that different really. An intimate relationship that creates comfort and feelings of peaceful transcendence; or a selfish, addictive insular thing with many potential ways for the magic to wear off and a reluctance to accept the inevitability of this happening one way or another.
I think that the song also describes modern, first world problems. One thinks "I really have nothing to complain about", but there is that creeping sense of malaise. Things can get really stressful, but at the end of the day it's not that important if people think that you're a big shot. You're not going to go hungry or wind up in a war zone. You anticipate your free time, but when it comes you get bored or self destructive. Even when you get the 9-5 job and the girlfriend, there is still something missing. Society offers you small entertainments...
I think that the song also describes modern, first world problems. One thinks "I really have nothing to complain about", but there is that creeping sense of malaise. Things can get really stressful, but at the end of the day it's not that important if people think that you're a big shot. You're not going to go hungry or wind up in a war zone. You anticipate your free time, but when it comes you get bored or self destructive. Even when you get the 9-5 job and the girlfriend, there is still something missing. Society offers you small entertainments for a Saturday afternoon such as going to the zoo or going to a movie. Addictions to drugs or generic romance are an escape, but they may only exacerbate the monotony of it all.
I certainly hope you've managed to kick this addiction -- I have never tried heroin, but it sounds like getting off the stuff is damn near impossible. I will say a prayer for all addicts. God bless you.
I certainly hope you've managed to kick this addiction -- I have never tried heroin, but it sounds like getting off the stuff is damn near impossible. I will say a prayer for all addicts. God bless you.
It isn't really all that important whether the song was written about shooting up or a person. The beauty is in its ambiguity. If Lou stated that the song was written about heroin, than we'll have to believe him, but it is of no consequence. There are times in everyone's life when you feel like just finding a way to forget your problems and feel good for a while. You don't need to have an addiction to be a very disturbed person, or to be going through a tough time. Sometimes, the people you see every day in the street are the ones fighting inner battles. So this song, about junk or whatever, is sad in that he is not facing his problems and trying to be a better person, although he obviously realizes that his life has gon awry somewhere along the way. Lou Reed is one of the best writers of this century. He has this amazing style - like he's writing some paranoid and depressed children's book. It's all very simple, but so brilliant because of it. He uses the classic names Jack and Jane in Sweet Jane, just like in those crappy books you used to get in school - i.e. See jack. See the ball. See Jack kick the ball - only it's 'See Jack. See Jill. See Jack hit Jill.' Only much, much worse.
It's very much about heroin. Besides Lou saying so. If you've had a habit for long enough, it's obvious who "you" is, who he spends all his days with. The "I thought I was someone else, someone good" literally happens. You can forget yourself, for a few hours, on good enough gear.
Heroin turns off much of the ego. Stops your worries just like that. The world doesn't actually get better, but you don't mind. Life doesn't hurt. The purer you, the happy you when you were a kid, without all the social garbage you learn thru life, is free to come through. If you've had a lot of pain in life, it's a blessing.
A lot of addicted people I know are still stuck in their teens, even tho they're in their 30s. Emotionally retarded. They don't live the life other people live, and happiness and satisfaction are easy to find.
Taking heroin's a lot of fun for the first few years, and even after it's still some fun. What do you think people with habits do all day? It's not just scoreing after scoreing. I imagine being Lou Reed, he could afford all he needed, so had a lot of time to spend.
It's just a song about being on heroin, having a pleasant day, spending your time, doing stuff. The darker elements show that he's aware it's not just a bed of roses. And that the whole happy feeling, while very precious if you need happiness, is really false, and not going to last. Whether it's in days time or years time, even most of your lifetime. And then you reap what you sow! Which you're aware of, too, even as you're happily sowing.
What amuses the hell out of me, is the BBC got a load of singers together to record this song for charity, nothing drug-related. And they played the hell out of it on TV and it got to number one! The whole country sang along with some addled smackhead, wandering round the park. HA!
"The whole country sang along with some addled smackhead, wandering round the park. HA! " And it was for the children! (Orphans, if I remember correctly.)
"The whole country sang along with some addled smackhead, wandering round the park. HA! " And it was for the children! (Orphans, if I remember correctly.)
Yeah, the BBC using it a commercial just tickles me pink! I wonder if any of the suits there had any idea the song was an ode to heroin? Lol.
Yeah, the BBC using it a commercial just tickles me pink! I wonder if any of the suits there had any idea the song was an ode to heroin? Lol.
re. the Beeb recording --- you forget to mention the genius little ps. at the end where the composer touches his nose in a gesture of complicity to anyone in the know, other junkies mainly, to say " these goons have no idea what they're singing --- taking their vainglorious form-over-content little ride on my song --- and me and you we get to laugh last ". The whole set-up playing straight into confirming the junkie's cool sense of superiority, bought with his supposed degradation.
re. the Beeb recording --- you forget to mention the genius little ps. at the end where the composer touches his nose in a gesture of complicity to anyone in the know, other junkies mainly, to say " these goons have no idea what they're singing --- taking their vainglorious form-over-content little ride on my song --- and me and you we get to laugh last ". The whole set-up playing straight into confirming the junkie's cool sense of superiority, bought with his supposed degradation.
The BBC recording (and nose touching, a la Guarrandango's comment) is here:
The BBC recording (and nose touching, a la Guarrandango's comment) is here:
youtube.com/watch
youtube.com/watch
Not a lot of people commented on the depressing side of this song. I think in the begining it's a love song, but by the end the love fades and you see the emptiness behind it.
Like many people have said, I don't believe this song is about heroin. Lou Reed isn't often one to hide significant meanings in songs, however much of a taboo subject they may be - usually he's very explicit about drugs etc. But then again, considering Lou's links to the drug at the time I guess we really can't rule out that it is about heroin either. Maybe he was just trying to take a more subtle approach to writing about the drug, having already written outrightly about it, notably of course in 'Heroin' with the Velvet Underground.
I think we can be more or less sure that this doesn't describe Lou's personal perfect day: as he told Jools Holland "I wouldn't know what my perfect day was if it came up and bit me on the nose". To me, it is more of a mock-romantic setup rather than a real life situation, perhaps meant to be a bit ironic or menacing ("you're going to reap just what you sow...").
I think it's intended to be not so much sarcastic, but, grim. I don't have my mind fully wrapped around it, but, I don't believe it is a happy song so much as an ironic one.
It's very possibly about heroin, everything seemed more blissful and perfect, and it was that way because of the heroin. But, I also agree, that Lou Reed doesn't tend to veil his drug references that way.
I guess my thought is, that whether this is about a person or drugs, it is not intended to be about how wonderful the world is, but how even if things seem great, they aren't.
("You're gonna reap just what you sow")
you can interpret the lyrics however you like but it's mainly about addiction. Person, drugs, a certain feeling it can be anything but you can sense how this thing rules his world and he's very dependent on it, he's totally obsessed and without it he feels bad about himself. This might be due to some sort of guilt he feels. Or it could be Lou describing his imaginary perfect day. Who knows but what i'm sure the song's not particularly positive, in fact it's depressing because you see a person who's under the influence of the "drug" and feels great at the time though he knows it's not gonna last long and he's gonna feel bad again afterward and the world's gonna be dull and mediocre.
For me the song is about landing on the hard ground after being up in the sky, although the lyrics describe just the blissful flight (still it gives many clues so you can imagine the whole picture.)
I am a substance abuse clinician working in a methadone clinic with people dependent on opiates and I 100% agree with singmeasong. This song is about heroin. The fact that Lou Reed had a heroin addiction when this song was produce and the lyrics blatenly state what this song is about. I quote singmeasong: "Problems left alone": the application to opiates is obvious.
"Weekenders on our own": Weekend warrior. Drugs distinct from the workday routine. Time to be completely free with no responsibilities.
"You just keep me hanging on". Drugs as a solace to get through all the BS.
The bittersweet mood is felt with mild guilt buried beneath the high and the knowledge that things won't stay so "perfect". Well said. Not every song is about drugs but this one is definitely is.
I tend to lean more towards this song being about Reed's addiction to heroin for a number of reasons -
-"drink Sangria in the park" can be equated to the actual shooting up of the heroin (sangria being both a type of fruity wine and the spanish word for blood) where heroin users have to draw blood into their syringes to mix with the drug before pumping it into their veins again
-Forgetting your problems, forgetting yourself are both principal "reasons" for drug addiction
-"You just keep me hanging on" - heroin use both gets him through the day while at the same time leaving him at the brink of physical/emotional breakdown because of his dependence
-"...reap just what you sow" he is acknowledging his problem and he knows where it is bound to lead
On top of the lyrics, I think the structure of the song itself takes the listener through a day of an addict, starting with soft and somber melody and vocals rising to a very blissful and powerful chorus (euphoria), and ending low again, with melancholy and regretful lyrics. I don't think Lou is trying to "hide" his addiction under a safe guise, the song was written in '72, well after everyone knew about his use, I just think it's a more refined take on the topic then a song like Heroin.