Perfect Day

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"Perfect Day" is a song written by Lou Reed in 1972, made famous in the 1990s through featuring in the film Trainspotting (1996), and after its release as a charity single in 1997.

Originally featuring on the 1972 album Transformer, the song's lyrics suggest nothing more than conventional romantic devotion, but it is usually said to deal with Reed's attitude towards his own addiction to heroin, portraying it in romanticised and fond phrase.

Reed has praised cover versions of the song recorded by Duran Duran (on their 1995 album Thank You) and Kirsty MacColl (on her 1995 album Galore).

In 1997 it was featured by the BBC in a lengthy corporate advertisement of its own music coverage. This version has its origins in a performance by Heather Small on the BBC2 programme Later with Jools Holland. The advert was shown on BBC channels and in cinemas and won both awards and praise from commentators. This version was eventually released as a charity single in November of that year for Children In Need. The charity version featured a host of well-known singers and performers, with Reed himself opening and closing the song, and was the UK's number one single for two weeks, selling over a million copies.

In an interview with Nicky Horne Reed said he had been told that the song was for charity, and appeared not to realise that it had also been used to promote the BBC.

It was recently covered by Californian punk band T.S.O.L. (quite ironically, since they are not ones to write ballads but songs about necrophillia and suicide) for their "4 Songs - 2005" EP.

Contents

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Trivia

In what has to be one of the most horrible ironies in music, the line "You just keep me hangin' on" was sung by Michael Hutchence, in what may have been his last recording session before his death by hanging.

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Quotes

"You made me forget myself; I thought I was someone else, someone good."
"You're gonna reap just what you sow."
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Performers on the 1997 Children In Need single

(in order of appearance)

The CD version of the 1997 release featured three versions of the song - one with the performers listed above, one entirely sung by female performers, and one entirely sung by male performers. The BBC produced a Christmas version of the accompanying promo-video.

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Sequels

Following the success of the Perfect Day music video, the BBC produced two further similar campaigns.

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Future Generations

The first, entitled Future Generations, was dedicated to the corporation's vast output of childrens' programmes. It featured five year old Scott Chisholm, dressed in 1950s-style school uniform, walking round various childrens' programmes past and present, sometimes interacting with the characters. It was first shown on December 1st 1998, within the Children in Need charity programme. The programmes and characters that were included were, in order of appearance:

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Shaggy Dog Story

The second, called Shaggy Dog Story, was dedicated to the BBC's comedy output. It featured various comedians and comic actors (some in character, others as themselves) telling a long-winded shaggy dog story, with each one sharing a line or phrase. It was begun with Ronnie Corbett in his trademark armchair, who is most famously known for telling such stories on The Two Ronnies. It was first shown on December 27th 1999. The participants were:

A second, shorter story, entitled "Mammals vs. Insects", was also broadcast on 4th January 2000. This story revolved around a football match between the two teams of creatures and featured many of the participants from the other story.

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Music Live 2000

A BBC live television event, which consisted of music programs around the clock, ended in a performance of Perfect Day. Although watched by millions the single that was released (and was the actual recording from the show) to co-incide with the performance bombed in the charts in dramatic style reaching #69 in mid June 2000.

The line-up, often forgotten did include Rolf Harris and also the start and end from Lou Reed himself.

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External links

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