With the Stooges in limbo, Iggy Pop met David Bowie in September 1971, and … Read Full Bio ↴With the Stooges in limbo, Iggy Pop met David Bowie in September 1971, and the pair became good friends. Bowie, then at the height of his Ziggy Stardust-era fame, brought Pop and Williamson to the U.K. and got them a deal with Columbia Records. The pair attempted to reconstitute the Stooges with British musicians, but finding no suitable additions, brought the Asheton brothers back into the band (this "second choice" decision rankled Ron Asheton, as did his change from guitar to bass). This line-up, billed as Iggy & The Stooges, recorded their third album, the massively influential Raw Power (1973), which Bowie mixed in a somewhat controversial manner (in 1997, Raw Power was re-mixed by Iggy Pop and re-released). Raw Power would go on to become one of the cornerstones of early punk rock, although the album sold rather poorly, and was regarded as a commercial failure at the time of its release.

With the addition of a piano player (briefly Bob Sheff and then Scott Thurston[4]), Iggy and the Stooges toured for several months, starting in February 1973. Around this time they also made a number of recordings that became known as the Detroit Rehearsal Tapes, including a number of new songs that might have been included on a fourth studio album had the band not been dropped by Columbia shortly after the release of Raw Power. They disbanded in February 1974 as a result of Pop's ever-present heroin addiction and erratic behavior (at least off stage, as many people around the band acknowledged that while performing or rehearsing, Iggy had more focus).[12] The band's last performance of this era was captured on the live album Metallic K.O..

No Fun
Iggy And The Stooges Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

No fun, my babe
No fun
No fun, my babe
No fun
No fun to hang around
Feelin' that same old way
No fun to hang around
Freaked out

For another day

No fun, my babe
No fun
No fun, my babe
No fun
No fun to be alone
Walking by myself
No fun to be alone
In love
With nobody else

Well, maybe go out, maybe stay home
Maybe call Mom on the telephone
Well c'mon, well c'mon
Well c'mon, well c'mon
Well c'mon, well c'mon
Well c'mon, well c'mon
No fun to be alone
No fun to be alone
Hang on
Don't you lemme go
No fun to alone
I said to be alone
I said to be alone
No fun

Well I say, I say c'mon Ron, I say
I say, c'mon, Ron
I say c'mon, Ron, and lemme
I say c'mon, Ron, and lemme hear you tell 'em
Lemme hear you tell 'em how I
Tell 'em how I, tell 'em how I
Tell 'em how I, tell 'em how I
Tell 'em how I feel
I say c'mon and tell 'em, tell 'em how I feel
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Well c'mon
Well c'mon
Well c'mon
Well c'mon
Well c'mon
Well c'mon
A-don't you, don't you, don't you
A-don't you, a-don't you, a-don't you, aah

Well c'mon, yeah
Yeah, man
I say, I say, I say-say, c'mon
Lemme say it, c'mon

Lemme say it, c'mon
Aah, hoo, hoo!

Overall Meaning

"No Fun" by Iggy and The Stooges is a song that speaks about the ennui that dominates the singer's life, where he finds no joy in being all by himself, but also experiences no fun while hanging around with anyone. The repetition of the phrase "No fun, my babe" throughout the song, emphasizes the emptiness the singer feels, and his inability to connect with anyone or anything around him. He longs for companionship and happiness but finds himself alone, feeling the same old way, and freaked out, as he waits for another day.

The song showcases a theme of disillusionment and dejection, which is an expression of the stoicism and nihilism embraced by the singers of the punk scene in the early 70s, which Iggy and The Stooges were an integral part of. The song signifies the stripped-back and raw sound of punk with its repetitive riffs and the raw and energetic vocal style by Iggy Pop, which emphasized the band's determination to break free of the pop music genre's constraints.

Line by Line Meaning

No fun, my babe
The singer is not having any fun

No fun to hang around Feelin' that same old way
It's not enjoyable to be around others and feel the same emotions over and over again

Freaked out For another day
The singer is scared or worried and feeling this way for an extended period of time

No fun to be alone Walking by myself
Being by oneself is also not enjoyable

In love With nobody else
The artist is in love with someone who does not return their affection

Well, maybe go out, maybe stay home Maybe call Mom on the telephone Well c'mon, well c'mon
The singer is unsure of what to do with their time and is considering different options

No fun to be alone I said to be alone
Reiterating that being alone is not fun

Hang on Don't you lemme go
Someone is trying to leave or distance themselves from the artist, but the artist does not want them to go

I say c'mon Ron, and lemme hear you tell 'em Lemme hear you tell 'em how I Tell 'em how I, tell 'em how I Tell 'em how I feel I say c'mon and tell 'em, tell 'em how I feel
The artist is asking Ron to express how the artist is feeling to others

A-don't you, don't you, don't you A-don't you, a-don't you, a-don't you, aah
An exclamation of frustration

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVID ALEXANDER, JAMES OSTERBERG, RONALD ASHETON, SCOTT ASHETON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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