I’m Waiting for the Man

A song about buying heroin in Harlem, set to a hammering one-chord piano.
The Velvet Underground, from The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

Written by

Lou Reed

Released

1967

Album

The Velvet Underground & Nico

Covers and versions

• David Bowie (1967) Learned from an acetate in December 1966 and played on stage within a week, then recorded with the Riot Squad on 5 April 1967.
• Keith Richards (2024) Released on the tribute album The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed.

More songs by The Velvet Underground

Heroin, Venus in Furs, Sister Ray, Sunday Morning, Pale Blue Eyes