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 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.