Femme Fatale (song)

"Femme Fatale" is a song by American rock band the Velvet Underground from their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico, with lead vocals by Nico.

Background
The song was composed in the key of C major. At the request of Andy Warhol, band frontman Lou Reed wrote the song about Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick. According to Reed, the title was inspired by Warhol saying, about Sedgwick, "Oh, don't you think she's a femme fatale, Lou?"

The song was recorded with vocals by Nico. Guitarist Sterling Morrison said of the title: "[Nico] always hated that. Nico, whose native language is minority French, would say "The name of this song is 'Fahm Fatahl'." Lou and I would sing it our way. Nico hated that. I said, "Nico, hey, it's my title, I'll pronounce it my way"."

"Femme Fatale" was recorded at the Scepter Studios in New York in April 1966 while the studio was still under construction. It was released as a B-Side to "Sunday Morning" in December 1966. The following year it was included in their debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. A 1969 live recording of the song was included in Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes released in 2001.

Critical reception
AllMusic critic Mark Deming thought that "Femme Fatale" was among the four best songs on the album. American music journalist Stephen Davis called "Femme Fatale" a beautiful song that portrays the vivid, conflicted and emotional undercurrents of 1966.

Personnel

 * Nico – lead vocals
 * Lou Reed – lead guitar, backing vocals
 * John Cale – piano, bass
 * Sterling Morrison – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
 * Maureen Tucker – snare drum, tambourine