Themes and Composition
Nearly every song on the album contains some sort of experimental or avant-garde quality. "The Gift", for example, contains a recital of a short story and a loud instrumental rock song playing simultaneously, with the former on the left speaker channel and the latter on the right. "I Heard Her Call My Name" is distinguishable for its distorted guitar solos and prominent use of feedback.
The record's lyrics vary from themes of drug use and sexual references (such as fellatio and orgies), including the song "Lady Godiva's Operation", about a transsexual woman's botched lobotomy, and the title track "White Light/White Heat", which describes the use of amphetamine.
"Here She Comes Now", the most straightforward 'pop' sounding song on the album, is built around a double-entendre. While it seems that the lyrics depict a woman about to reach orgasm, the 'she' that will 'come' is actually a wooden musical instrument. On the album's last track, "Sister Ray", Reed tells a tale of debauchery involving transsexuals having a failed orgy, while the band plays an improvised seventeen minute jam around three chords.
Read more about this topic: White Light/White Heat
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