The Ballad Of Andy And Valerie

On 3 June 1968 Valerie Solanus went to the Decker Building at 33 Union Square Manhattan. She was going to Andy Warhols Factory that was located in the building. During her stay she produced a 32 caliber Beretta pistol and fired 3 shots. The first two bullets missed but the third hit Andy in the stomach, liver, spleen, esophagus and both lungs.

Andy survived and Valerie got her 15 minutes of fame.

Thanks to Innabar for the female vocal that I have manipulated in Melodyne to provide the backing track


On the avenue sweet Valerie performed
The strangest of all dances ever known
And Andy came to watch her body sway
And promised her she’d have much better days
And all the lights on Broadway shone her name
They told her this was more than just a game
But the gravity was lost and never shared
Her sights were set on bigger brighter fayre

Young Lou became the favourite of the girls
With his handsome face and shiny jet black curls
He’d sleep with anyone who showed the way
To immortality and endless praise
On 47th street he laid his head
Amongst the pale young bodies on the bed
Too frightened to say no he took the pills
That led him to the sweet remembered hills

But Andy was too fickle and in time
He would turn his back on those whose lights he’d primed
Their bodies bore the scars of human waste
This was the legacy they’d learnt to chase
And all the hungry people turned away
In search of better fodder they could taste
But they left behind their youth and broken dreams
The Factory took no prisoners so it seemed

When Andy took the circus into town
The only acts were desperate sad faced clowns
The beauty now had almost been erased
And broken empty people filled the days
Then Valerie Solanus raised her voice
As Andy had removed her right to choice
She almost took his life but he survived
The New York ringmaster had touched their lives

"The Ballad Of Andy And Valerie"
by Radioontheshelf

2025 - Licensed under
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Pure airy chant by innabar

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