Nico with Velvet Underground--speech impediment or just her German accent?

Cafe Society
1

Some would say she had a singing impediment, but that’s a topic for another thread.

I’ve always wondered about the way Nico enunciates on the “Banana” album by the Velvet Underground. Specifically, when she sings a word that should have the “ow” sound, she gives it more of an “ahh” sound, as in,

She’ll bring you up
just to bring you dahhhn,

what a clohnn (clown, presumably?)

So, is this just an ideosyncratic way of speaking, or is that just the way people in her part of Germany speak? Normally, there’s no reason why a German speaker should have any difficulty pronouncing “ow”, since both languages have the same sound.

And, as an aside, what’s up with the album being produced by Andy Warhol? Could he have creditably claimed to be the producer, or did they just put his name on it?

2

I don’t think Nico had a speech impediment any more than Marlene Dietrich did.

As for Warhol’s involvement with the VU and their first album, go here if you want to find out more.

3

I’ve owned the Banana since it first came out. Maybe it was just the era, but I never thought it sounded strange. . .

As to Warhol; Yeah, he and Velvet Underground were tight. Andy did a lot of film and music back then. . .he didn’t always eat soup.

4

Nico was from Hungary.

5

Pretty sure she was German. Her name was Christa Päffgen and she was born in
Cologne. link