Some Kinda Love [1969 The Velvet Underground Live]

Song Meaning

The Velvet Underground's live rendition of "Some Kinda Love" frames a peculiar dialogue between Tom and Marguerita, as introduced by Lou Reed. The song immediately establishes a philosophical bent, with Marguerita telling Tom that "Between thought and expression lies a lifetime." This sets up a tension between internal experience and outward action, suggesting that even simple declarations of love can be fraught with complexity. The lyrics then pivot to a more visceral, almost transactional view of affection, describing some loves as combining "the absurd with the vulgar," like a "dirty French novel." The central conflict seems to be Tom's potentially objectifying desire for Marguerita, which she resists or at least complicates. He wants to "drink her like Tequila," a blunt, possessive impulse. Marguerita, however, counters with a more nuanced, perhaps even detached, perspective on love's nature, stating that "no kinds of love are better than others." This philosophical stance appears to frustrate Tom, who, despite her being "a bore," finds her "not charmless," suggesting a complex dynamic of attraction and annoyance. The lyrics employ striking, almost surreal imagery to capture this push-and-pull. The instruction to "Put jelly on your shoulder" and "lie down upon the carpet" feels like a bizarre, avant-garde invitation to intimacy, a test of boundaries. This is followed by the enigmatic command to "kiss the culprit," implying that the act of transgression or even the source of their conflict is something to be embraced. The narrator's own uncertainty, "I don't know just what it's all about," coupled with the final directive to "put on your red pajamas baby and find out," underscores the song's embrace of ambiguity and the unknown in human connection.