Artist:NicoSong:I'm Not Sayin'
Album:The Classic Years
Nico was probably best known for her contribution to The Velvet Underground's 1967 debut album and her subsequent solo recordings which got her a cult following. This 1965 cover of Gordon Lightfoot's I'm Not Sayin' was an attempt by Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones to turn her into a folksinger. She was born Christa Paffgen Oct. 16, 1938 in Cologne, Germany. She became a top fashion model as a teen and was given the name Nico by a photographer. She made a brief appearance as herself in Federico Fellini's 1959 film La Dolce Vita and the moved to New York City to take acting classes from Lee Strasberg. She gave birth to her son Ari in 1962. Supposedly actor Alain Delon was the father but he always denied that. Nico starred in the 1963 film Strip-Tease which was written by Serge Gainsbourg and sang the theme song. In 1965 she met Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones. He wanted to record her and asked Andrew Loog Oldham to release I'm Not Sayin' on his Immediate label. Jimmy Page played guitar. They even produced a promotional film. But Nico got sidetracked and moved to New York to work with Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey and their experimental films. Warhol managed The Velvet Underground and insisted that Nico be part of the band. She appeared on their debut album The Velvet Underground with Nico. But Lou Reed didn't want her in the band and Nico left and recorded her debut album Chelsea Girl in 1967. And though Reed didn't like Nico, John Cale did and produced several of Nico's albums. She recorded for Island Records through the mid-70s but never broke through commercially though she always had a fanbase left over from her Velvet Underground days. She lived with French director Philippe Garrel and appeared and contributed songs to several of his films. She also became addicted to heroin but kicked the habit in the 80s. She was also deaf in one ear which didn't seem to affect her singing but couldn't hear what anyone was saying to her. On July 18, 1988, Nico was on holiday with her son in Ibiza, Spain. She suffered a heart attack while riding a bicycle and hit her head. She died later that day when she was mis-diagnosed at the hospital and died at age 49. This comp covers Nico's very interesting singing career. Though Nico was never a star, many female rockers look at her as a big influence. Here's the video for I'm Not Sayin' by Nico.
No comments:
Post a Comment