Two Amsterdams

In the late 1990s and the early 2000s, Lou Reed recorded many attractive pieces with one of his reliable arrangement manners. The cover of Ben E. King with the Drifters “This magic moment” and his original song “Modern dance” are typical examples. Noisy discord guitar, beautiful arpeggio guitar and steady but a little bit funky rhythm section organize a tight background.
“Modern dance” (2000, Ecstasy) begins like this;

Maybe I should go and live in Amsterdam
in a side street near a big canal
spend my evenings in the Van Gogh Museum
what a dream, Van Gogh Museum
(Lou Reed “Modern dance”)

This reminds me of John Cale’s song in 1970 (Vintage Violence) “Amsterdam”, which has the following opening;

She’s back from Amsterdam
And I think the journey did her well
(John Cale “Amsterdam”)

It is interesting that John Cale returns while Lou Reed goes, even though there is a great difference of time. And Lou Reed sang about the wish, on the other hand, John Cale sang about the breaking off the relationship;

She says she fell in love
with men who knew the way to treat a lady
(John Cale “Amsterdam”)

He was quite regretful and said “I do believe the journey did her well” over and over. Well, how about Lou Reed? I think he also regretted something slightly. The subjunctive mode might reflect sorrow or abundance for the unselected alternative lives.
By the way, we can find the remarkable sentence in “Modern dance”;

and maybe you don’t wanna be a wife
It’s not a life being a wife
(Lou Reed “Modern dance”)

The meaning of this lyric should be controversial but I don’t take any notice of it. Instead of such an interpretation, please imagine “you” in this song and “she” in John Cale’s song were the very same person. It will excite your romanticism.
Furthermore, this cheap rhyme (wife and life) links to their song in 1967 “Heroin” as the Velvet Underground;

Heroin, it’s my wife and it’s my life
(The Velvet Underground “Heroin”)

So, these two Amsterdams might be very near.