I've seen a lot of interpretations that seem ridiculous, and some that seem to grasp the point, so I'll share what I know off hand...
The Hotel Chelsea is located in Manhattan...it's a well-known place for artists, poets, actors, directors, etc.
"White lines, black tar, the matches" - Drugs, obviously. White lines being cocaine, black tar referring to black tar heroin. Nico/Christa Paffgen was a known heroin addict. ("I need a fix in those heroin eyes" - from Dance, Dance...a double-meaning there...heroin/heroine). She also stayed at the Hotel Chelsea when she was one of Warhol's Factory Girls. During this period (mid-60's) Warhol's factory was located in Manhattan on Lexington Avenue. The corner of Lexington & 125th street was a place where junkies would go to feed their habit. Nico/Christa Paffgen and the Velvet Underground talk about this in the song "I'm Waiting for the Man". Heroin is injected, hence that line about Lexington and veins.
While all of this can be appied to Nico, it also somewhat fits other celebrities as well...
Edie Sedgwick, another of Warhol's Factory Girls who stayed at Hotel Chelsea, was also a heroin user, but not an addict like Nico. She died after a barbituate overdose (which some say might have been a suicide) after attending a fashion show in Santa Barbara. "Fashion statement suicide" sounds similar to that, but whether that's why Stephen Christian wrote the lyrics, I don't know, it's just what I was reminded of.
Another event I was reminded of the first time I heard this song was Sid Vicious (of the Sex Pistols) and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. They were both heroin addicts. They were both staying at the Hotel Chelsea when Sid woke up after doing heroin and found Nancy dead on the bathroom floor. He was arrested and charged with the murder even though he said he had no memory of doing so. "She's still asleep in the Chelsea Hotel, bad to turns to worse and the worse turns into hell." 'Asleep' meaning dead, 'bad turns to worse and the worse turns into hell' meaning he woke up to find her dead, and then is accused of killing her.
"Burning down neverland" - Destroying their 'superstar' lives.
"Kill yourself slowly over time" - obviously about drug use.
"Don't fall asleep" and "Stay with me" - Don't die on me.
"Is this a life lead just to remember, tell them who you were, who you really were" - Wanting to be well-known and remembered, but then their tragic drug-related deaths overshadow their accomplishments, and reveal their real lifestyle.
As a filmmaker, I'm fascinated w/ Edie and Warhol and all of his factory girls, which is why I know some of this info, and it's know that Stephen Christian is fascinated by some of them as well. Just my initial reaction upon hearing the song the first time through.
I've seen a lot of interpretations that seem ridiculous, and some that seem to grasp the point, so I'll share what I know off hand...
The Hotel Chelsea is located in Manhattan...it's a well-known place for artists, poets, actors, directors, etc.
"White lines, black tar, the matches" - Drugs, obviously. White lines being cocaine, black tar referring to black tar heroin. Nico/Christa Paffgen was a known heroin addict. ("I need a fix in those heroin eyes" - from Dance, Dance...a double-meaning there...heroin/heroine). She also stayed at the Hotel Chelsea when she was one of Warhol's Factory Girls. During this period (mid-60's) Warhol's factory was located in Manhattan on Lexington Avenue. The corner of Lexington & 125th street was a place where junkies would go to feed their habit. Nico/Christa Paffgen and the Velvet Underground talk about this in the song "I'm Waiting for the Man". Heroin is injected, hence that line about Lexington and veins.
While all of this can be appied to Nico, it also somewhat fits other celebrities as well...
Edie Sedgwick, another of Warhol's Factory Girls who stayed at Hotel Chelsea, was also a heroin user, but not an addict like Nico. She died after a barbituate overdose (which some say might have been a suicide) after attending a fashion show in Santa Barbara. "Fashion statement suicide" sounds similar to that, but whether that's why Stephen Christian wrote the lyrics, I don't know, it's just what I was reminded of.
Another event I was reminded of the first time I heard this song was Sid Vicious (of the Sex Pistols) and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. They were both heroin addicts. They were both staying at the Hotel Chelsea when Sid woke up after doing heroin and found Nancy dead on the bathroom floor. He was arrested and charged with the murder even though he said he had no memory of doing so. "She's still asleep in the Chelsea Hotel, bad to turns to worse and the worse turns into hell." 'Asleep' meaning dead, 'bad turns to worse and the worse turns into hell' meaning he woke up to find her dead, and then is accused of killing her.
"Burning down neverland" - Destroying their 'superstar' lives.
"Kill yourself slowly over time" - obviously about drug use.
"Don't fall asleep" and "Stay with me" - Don't die on me.
"Is this a life lead just to remember, tell them who you were, who you really were" - Wanting to be well-known and remembered, but then their tragic drug-related deaths overshadow their accomplishments, and reveal their real lifestyle.
As a filmmaker, I'm fascinated w/ Edie and Warhol and all of his factory girls, which is why I know some of this info, and it's know that Stephen Christian is fascinated by some of them as well. Just my initial reaction upon hearing the song the first time through.