Chelsea Girl

Chelsea Girl is the debut solo album by Nico. It was released in October 1967 by Verve Records, also home to The Velvet Underground. The name of the album is a reference to Andy Warhol’s 1966 film Chelsea Girls, which Nico starred in. The sixth track of the album (or first on Side B on vinyl) is titled “Chelsea Girls”. Many of the songs on the album have instrumental work from The Velvet Underground, whom Nico had previously collaborated with the year before on The Velvet Underground and Nico, as well as song writing credits from members of the band. The song “I’ll Keep It with Mine”, which is also featured on the album, was written by Bob Dylan, and the album also features three songs by Jackson Browne, who also contributes guitar to the album. After collaborating as a singer with The Velvet Underground on their debut The Velvet Underground & Nico (recorded during 1966, released in March 1967), Warhol superstar Nico toured with the band in Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia roadshow. Before the EPI came to an end in 1967, Nico took up residence in a New York City coffeehouse as solo folk chanteuse, accompanied in turn by acquainted guitarists, such as Tim Hardin, Jackson Browne and Leonard Cohen, but also her Velvet Underground bandmates Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison and John Cale.

Some of her accompanists wrote songs for her to sing, and these form the backbone of Chelsea Girl.