Of the four Soundsville! songs we’ve covered so far, three have been massive bummers. In his book Dirty Blvd., Aidan Levy says:
There was something off about Soundsville! — Lou cast a dark shadow on every track, even when he wasn’t singing.
But, he continues, “There was no hint of Lou on the comparatively giddy ‘Wonderful World of Love,’” which is the next song in the queue. Credited to “The Liberty Men,” “WWoL” is the album’s designated “Philadelphia” song. It’s a little vague what exactly qualifies it as such; certainly Philadelphia was one of several hotbeds of doo-wop music, but was there a specific Philly style that this song fits into, or is it just marketing?
I don’t know and I don’t think it’s really worth taking the time to find out, as it’s entirely possible that Lou Reed had no involvement in “Wonderful World of Love,” even though his name is on it. That is not the case with the next song we’ll explore.