(Music Before 1990)

Nico

On this day twenty-two years ago, Christa Päffgen, better known to the music world as Nico, died in Ibiza from a cerebral hemorrhage resulting from a bicycle accident.  While she is best remembered today as the slightly grating, moderately tone-deaf figure foisted upon The Velvet Underground by Andy Warhol (she was, in fact, literally deaf in one ear), her career was much more complex than this.  She was a cover model for everyone from Vogue to jazzman Bill Evans; she recorded with figures as varied as Jimmy Page and Serge Gainsbourg; and she even held a minor role in the Fellini classic La Dolce Vita.  Her six solo records proved influential to numerous contemporary artists, most notably Elliott Smith, who frequently covered the song “Chelsea Girls” in concert.  Today, we take the opportunity to honor the pentalingual chanteuse with a selection of her best work.

Nico – Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (written by Lou Reed)

The Velvet Underground and Nico – Femme Fatale

Nico – My Funny Valentine (written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart)

Elliot Smith – Chelsea Girls (Nico Cover via Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison, Live)

St. Vincent – These Days (Nico Cover via Jackson Browne)