"Walk on the Wild Side" is a song by American rock musician Lou Reed from his second solo studio album, Transformer (1972).

[4] Known as a counterculture anthem,[5] the song received wide radio coverage[6][failed verification] and became Reed's biggest hit[7][8] and signature song[9] while touching on topics considered taboo at the time, such as transgender people, drugs, male prostitution, and oral sex.

[7] In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked "Walk on the Wild Side" at number 223 in its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

[citation needed] Each verse refers to one of the "superstars" at Andy Warhol's New York studio, the Factory.

[30][24] The lyrics of "Walk on the Wild Side" were groundbreaking and risqué for their time, telling stories not usually told in rock songs up to then and containing references to prostitution, transgender people, and oral sex.

[36] In the UK, the oral sex reference slipped past the censors, who in 1972–73 were apparently unfamiliar with the term "giving head".