Song of the Day 12/30: Lou Reed, “Dirty Blvd.”

Bleak times call for bleak songs. Lou Reed made this the centerpiece of his critically acclaimed 1989 LP “New York,” and it topped Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart for four weeks. The blunt, caustic album clicked because it accurately reflected the mood of the country after nearly a decade of Republican rule.

The song became a highlight of Reed’s live show, and he often performed it with guest musicians like B.B. King. My favorite is from 1979, when Reed appeared on saxophonist David Sanborn’s late-night TV show. Sanborn plays a typically tasteful solo on the coda, but the highlight is Reed evading the censor, who knew when the words “piss” and “suck” were coming in the lyrics and muted them. Reed, ever the bad boy, got the last laugh by altering the line about a landlord wetting his pants.

Reed closed the 1998 concert that became his “Perfect Night: Live in London” LP with a reworked version that added an emotionally charged bridge. You’ll never hear Lou, usually the epitome of dry cool, express more passion than when he keeps repeating, “Did you ever have rage in your heart?”