The “fantastic” tuning Lou Reed stole for his first song: “I was kidding around”

In 1964, before forming the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed wrote “The Ostrich” while in the Primitives, parodying contemporary dance songs and fashion trends. The track’s unusual guitar tuning foreshadowed the experimental, provocative approach that later became associated with his work.

Reed tuned all six guitar strings to the same pitch class, a method he later called “ostrich tuning”. He said the idea came from someone at Pickwick Records, where he worked as a songwriter with future bandmate John Cale, and described it as sounding “fantastic” while admitting he was “kidding around”. The song’s opening lyric also mocked dance instructions by telling listeners to put their head on the floor and have someone step on it.