1969Released
2:07

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about After Hours. By Songfacts®.

"After Hours" is one of three Velvet Underground songs that drummer Maureen "Moe" Tucker sings on - the other two being "The Murder Mystery" and "I'm Sticking with You." Lou Reed chose to have Tucker sing it because it was too "innocent and pure" for his own voice and personae. This choice, whether intentionally or inadvertently, gave birth to a song beloved by Velvet faithful specifically because it's so unique in the band's catalogue.

Tucker sounds a bit hesitant, even a bit nervous, throughout her performance. This slight shakiness is perfect for the song, though, as "After Hours" is about a shut-in enviously watching the nighttime world outside and wishing she could participate. The song's emotional theme is twofold. On one hand, the narrator celebrates the night, with the chorus: If you close the door The night could last forever Leave the sunshine out And say hello to never In just about any other band's vision, this would probably become a celebration of the nightlife and parties, but there's another level to the yearning. The singer watches folks dancing and "having such fun," but she's not part of it.

One of the most touching parts of the song is when Tucker sings, "I wish it could happen to me," in a voice so disaffected and utterly human that we recognize our own longing in it. She celebrates that nightlife, but she can't bring herself to join it: Dark party bars, shiny Cadillac cars And the people on subways and trains Looking gray in the rain as they stand disarrayed Oh, the people look well in the dark This is more a statement of her aversion for sunlight than it is a celebration of her own night owl lifestyle. She is trapped on the outside looking in.

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Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of After Hours.
GKey
MinorMode
4/4Time Signature
121BPM

Album

The album After Hours is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released After Hours.
Polydor
© 2014 UMG Recordings, Inc.
A Republic Records release; ℗ 2014 UMG Recordings, Inc.

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