In its original form, it was about Reed's girlfriend at the time, Shelley Albin, and included a possible reference to Reed's bisexuality: "It seems to be my fancy to make it with Frank and Nancy." The later, studio version is written from the point of view of a fan addressing a "fat blonde actress".[2]
When the album was released, this song caused controversy. Reed, who had left the band a month before, stated that his original versions of "Sweet Jane", "Rock and Roll" and "New Age" were corrupted. Doug Yule, on the other hand, insists that Reed's mixes were respected.[3]
The Fully Loaded issue of the Loaded album (1997) includes an alternate version of "New Age", along with the other previously "corrupted" songs, subtitled "full-length version". It is about a minute longer than the LP version.[4]
^Unterberger, Richie (2009). White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day-By-Day. Jawbone Press. p. 279. ISBN978-1-906002-22-0. It's also included on Fully Loaded Edition, which adds yet another version that runs about a minute longer than the LP mix.