After Hours (song)
Encyclopedia
"After Hours" is a 1969 song written by Lou Reed
and originally performed by The Velvet Underground
. It is the tenth and final track on their self-titled album
. It is one of few songs with lead vocals by drummer Maureen Tucker
, as Lou Reed stated the song was "so innocent and pure" that he could not possibly sing it himself. Tucker's vocals are accompanied by acoustic and bass guitar. The style of the lyrics and the music is somewhat reminiscent of Tin Pan Alley
songs of the 1930s.
The song was re-recorded by Maureen Tucker
with instrumentation by The Changelings
in 2002. It was released on the single "I'm Sticking with You / After Hours
".
film The Science of Sleep
under the title "If You Rescue Me". In the film, the character Stéphane dreams he is performing the song dressed as a kitten. The film's soundtrack
features two versions of the song, one titled "If You Rescue Me (A Capella)" performed by Linda Serbu and one titled "If You Rescue Me (Chanson des Chats)" performed by Gael García Bernal
, Sacha Bourdo
, Alain Chabat
and Aurelia Petit.
DVD. Blind Melon
singer Shannon Hoon
sang it briefly at a concert. Meg White
, of the White Stripes
, covered the song on December 31, 2000 to conclude their New Year's Eve concert. Anthony Kiedis
and John Frusciante
of Red Hot Chili Peppers
played the song in 1992 on a boat while being interviewed by the VPRO
in Amsterdam, Holland. Rilo Kiley
also recorded a version in 2002 for a split EP. James Iha
performed the song with A Perfect Circle
on January 31, 2004 on a tour in France after Maynard James Keenan
challenged Americans in the audience to not use flash photography. Autolux
drummer, Carla Azar
performed the song as an encore while playing at the Henry Fonda Theatre.
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
and originally performed by The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
. It is the tenth and final track on their self-titled album
The Velvet Underground (album)
The Velvet Underground is the third album by American rock group The Velvet Underground. It was their first record to feature Doug Yule, John Cale's replacement. It was recorded in 1968 at TTG Studios in Hollywood, California. This album's softer sound marks a radical shift in approach in style...
. It is one of few songs with lead vocals by drummer Maureen Tucker
Maureen Tucker
Maureen Ann "Moe" Tucker is a musician best known for having been the drummer for the rock group The Velvet Underground.- The Velvet Underground :...
, as Lou Reed stated the song was "so innocent and pure" that he could not possibly sing it himself. Tucker's vocals are accompanied by acoustic and bass guitar. The style of the lyrics and the music is somewhat reminiscent of Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
songs of the 1930s.
The song was re-recorded by Maureen Tucker
Maureen Tucker
Maureen Ann "Moe" Tucker is a musician best known for having been the drummer for the rock group The Velvet Underground.- The Velvet Underground :...
with instrumentation by The Changelings
The Changelings
The Changelings are a band from Atlanta, Georgia self-described as a “blend of ambient pop-fusion laced with neo-Classical and Middle Eastern styles”. Formed in 1995, they have released six albums, and have been named the “Best Local Experimental/Fringe Band/Artist of Atlanta” in Creative Loafing...
in 2002. It was released on the single "I'm Sticking with You / After Hours
I'm Sticking with You / After Hours
"I'm Sticking with You" / "After Hours" is a 2002 CD single by Maureen "Moe" Tucker that features two re-recorded songs originally by The Velvet Underground: "I'm Sticking with You" and "After Hours"...
".
Lyrical content
The lyrics for the song were later rewritten in 2006 for the Michel GondryMichel Gondry
Michel Gondry is an Academy Award winning filmmaker, whose works include being a commercial director, music video director, and a screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène. - Life and career :...
film The Science of Sleep
The Science of Sleep
The Science of Sleep is a 2006 French film written and directed by Michel Gondry. The film stars Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Miou-Miou, and Alain Chabat.-Plot:...
under the title "If You Rescue Me". In the film, the character Stéphane dreams he is performing the song dressed as a kitten. The film's soundtrack
The Science of Sleep (soundtrack)
The Science of Sleep is the soundtrack album to the Michel Gondry film of the same name. The score was composed by Jean-Michel Bernard.The album features the song "If You Rescue Me", originally "After Hours" by The Velvet Underground....
features two versions of the song, one titled "If You Rescue Me (A Capella)" performed by Linda Serbu and one titled "If You Rescue Me (Chanson des Chats)" performed by Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
, Sacha Bourdo
Sacha Bourdo
Sacha Bourdo was born on 8 January 1963 in Oryol, Russia. He is an actor who has appeared in Science of Sleep in 2006 and Western by Manuel Poirier .- References :...
, Alain Chabat
Alain Chabat
Alain Chabat is a French actor and director who appeared in La Cité de la peur, French Twist, The Taste of Others and The Science of Sleep.- Life and career :Chabat was born in Oran, French Algeria. He is Jewish....
and Aurelia Petit.
Covers
R.E.M. performed the song whilst touring the album Green, one performance being recorded on the TourfilmTourfilm
Tourfilm is a documentary-style concert film by American rock band R.E.M. The film chronicles the band's 1989 Green tour of North America...
DVD. Blind Melon
Blind Melon
Blind Melon is an American rock band active from 1989 to 1999, and from 2006 onward.Best remembered for their 1993 single "No Rain", the group enjoyed critical and commercial success in the early 1990s with their neo-psychedelic take on alternative rock...
singer Shannon Hoon
Shannon Hoon
Richard Shannon Hoon was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He was the frontman and lead singer of the band Blind Melon until his death from a cocaine overdose in 1995.-Early life:...
sang it briefly at a concert. Meg White
Meg White
Megan Martha "Meg" White is an American drummer best known for her work in the Detroit rock duo The White Stripes.-Early life:...
, of the White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, covered the song on December 31, 2000 to conclude their New Year's Eve concert. Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
and John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
of Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
played the song in 1992 on a boat while being interviewed by the VPRO
VPRO
The VPRO was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant pillar, it represented the Liberal Protestant current...
in Amsterdam, Holland. Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles. Formed in 1998, the band consisted of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Jason Boesel....
also recorded a version in 2002 for a split EP. James Iha
James Iha
James Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
performed the song with A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
on January 31, 2004 on a tour in France after Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
challenged Americans in the audience to not use flash photography. Autolux
Autolux
Autolux is an avant-garde rock group consisting of Eugene Goreshter , Greg Edwards and Carla Azar...
drummer, Carla Azar
Carla Azar
Carla Azar is a musician and a member of the band Autolux. Azar is a multi-instrumentalist but is known primarily for playing the drums. She also plays glockenspiel, xylophone, mellotron, piano, and bass guitar.-Career:...
performed the song as an encore while playing at the Henry Fonda Theatre.
Personnel (on original recording)
- Maureen TuckerMaureen TuckerMaureen Ann "Moe" Tucker is a musician best known for having been the drummer for the rock group The Velvet Underground.- The Velvet Underground :...
: vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Lou ReedLou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
: acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound... - Doug YuleDoug YuleDouglas Alan Yule is an American musician and singer, most notable for being a member of The Velvet Underground from 1968 to 1973.- Early career :Yule began playing with various bands in Boston in the 1960s...
: bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....