The Velvet Underground may have one of the most enduring legacies in the history of rock, but many people still don’t know the story behind how the group got their iconic name.
The American rock band – formed in 1964 and known for groundbreaking tracks like Sunday Morning and Venus in Furs – became famous for their raw, avant-garde sound and participation in the exciting New York scene populated by Andy Warhol and his contemporaries.
While their songs are instantly recognizable, the meaning behind their name is often overlooked.
One fan recently took to Reddit to ask, ‘Where does the name Velvet Underground come from?’ sparking a wave of responses.
User @moonlightserenade1966 shared the true origin: a paperback book.
Founding member Lou Reed, alongside John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker, revealed the name’s origins in interviews during the late ‘60s.
As the story goes, the band was still performing under different names when their friend and early collaborator Tony Conrad stumbled upon a copy of The Velvet Underground, a 1963 nonfiction book by Michael Leigh, in a New York City sidewalk dumpster.
The book explored the secret sexual subcultures of the early 1960s. Intrigued by its provocative and mysterious title, Conrad showed it to the band.
They immediately agreed it perfectly captured the edgy, subversive vibe they wanted to project, and the rest is history.
Sterling Morrison succinctly told the story of the name in Up-Tight: The Velvet Underground Story. He said: ‘Tony Conrad found a book called The Velvet Underground. It was about underground sex in the early ’60s. We had nothing to do with the book. It was just a good name — we kept it.’
Lou Reed’s perspective, also in Up-Tight, was simply: ‘The name has a sort of elegance to it.’
The group, originally managed and produced by pop artist Andy Warhol, went on to become closely associated with Warhol’s art collective, The Factory.
Their debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, featuring the famous banana cover designed by Warhol, was released in 1967 and, although initially a commercial failure, has since been hailed as one of the most influential albums of all time.
Despite internal tensions leading to various line-up changes, the band’s core members – Reed, Cale, Morrison, and Tucker – left a legacy that would shape punk, alternative, and experimental music for decades.
Lou Reed, in particular, would go on to enjoy a successful solo career, with hits like Walk on the Wild Side.
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The Velvet Underground was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, with David Bowie and other major artists citing them as a pivotal influence.
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They also hold a unique Guinness World Record: The Velvet Underground & Nico is recognized for having the longest period between a debut album’s release and achieving gold certification – over 30 years.
Recently, the band returned to pop culture discussions after director Todd Haynes released the acclaimed 2021 documentary The Velvet Underground, which explored their history and the era in which they rose to fame.
As for their iconic name, it remains as evocative today as it was in 1965 – a symbol of rebellion, innovation, and the darker, cooler side of rock and roll.
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