Lou Reed: "Walk on the Wild Side" Single (1972)

Lou Reed’s "Walk on the Wild Side" backed with "Perfect Day", was released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK by RCA Records (catalog number RCA 2303) on November 24, 1972.

Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson it was released as a double A-side with "Perfect Day".

Known as a counterculture anthem, the song received wide radio coverage.

It became Lou's biggest hit and signature song while touching on topics considered taboo at the time. The song's lyrics, describing a series of individuals and their journeys to New York City, refer to several of the

"superstars" at Andy Warhol's New York studio, The Factory.

In 2013, The New York Times described "Walk on the Wild Side" as a "ballad of misfits and oddballs" that "became an unlikely cultural anthem, a siren song luring generations of people ... to a New York so long forgotten as to seem imaginary".