Musically this album starts out… upbeat?
What is this?
Growing Up In Public was Lou Reed’s album written, recorded and released at the dawn of the Reagan era. 1980 saw a cultural shift, and Lou Reed was shifting as well. The opening number “How Do You Speak To An Angel?” is about the uncertainty of approaching the object of your affection from a first person perspective. It seems like it catches the middle school angst all too well. But that is Lou Reed, the storyteller, in fine form.
This song is followed up with “My Old Man” which is a semi-autobiographical song about his childhood and wanting to grow up to be like his father. Or not.
Lou Reed was approaching 40 at the time of this record. Middle age was apparently weighing heavily on him, and he was examining his life. The album is rife with self-examinations and stories that feel less about what Lou Reed has observed on the streets of New York City but rather things that are much more personal.
The title track, “Growing Up In Public”, is pure Lou Reed, a poem about being caught in between polar opposites of societal expectations. Often it doesn’t rhyme and musically it seems rhythmically atonal. It is easy to see why this was used as the title of the album. It is probably the best song on the record.
“Love Is To Stay” is about the differences a couple can have but still overcome to remain together. Little differences that could be a “make or break” quality early in life are negligible later on and that is demonstrated here. Again, further evidence of this album being an examination of getting older.
“Smiles” is another autobiographical song, and it has this weird upbeat music which almost seems at complete odds with the subject matter of the song. The closing number is an interesting plea to the world at large (partly using Al Green’s “Take Me To The Water”) to make the world a better place. “Teach The Gifted Children” almost feels like he is wanting us to not make the same mistakes he suffered through.
While not his best album by any means Growing Up In Public is a much stronger effort than his previous album and feels much more like a Lou Reed album should.