Following his commercially successful 1972 album Transformer, Lou Reed chose an unexpected artistic direction with his 1973 concept album Berlin. Collaborating with producer Bob Ezrin, Reed created a deliberately challenging work chronicling a married couple's deterioration into personal ruin. Rather than capitalising on his recent popularity, Reed pursued an intentionally unpleasant listening experience designed to be experimental and transgressive.

The move carried significant commercial risk, which Reed fully recognised at the time. Contemporary critics largely rejected the album as relentlessly grim and virtually unengageable. The work's personal resonance became apparent when observers connected its themes to Reed's recent marital breakdown. When questioned about autobiographical elements, Reed responded with characteristic irreverence, implying the album's actual origins were far more complex and troubling than surface analysis suggested.