Iggy Pop (born James Newell Osterberg, Jr.; April 21, 1947) is an American … Read Full Bio ↴Iggy Pop (born James Newell Osterberg, Jr.; April 21, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though widely known as an innovator and "godfather" of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, hard rock, jazz and blues. Pop became known as 'Iggy' in high school, during which time he served as drummer for local blues band The Iguanas. He is vocalist of influential proto-punk band The Stooges (Pop and the other surviving members of the group reunited in 2003), having become known, since the late 1960s, for his outrageous and unpredictable stage antics.

Though his popularity has fluctuated through the years, many of Pop's songs have become well-known, including "Lust for Life", "The Passenger", "Real Wild Child", "Candy" (a duet with Kate Pierson of The B-52's), "China Girl", "Nightclubbing", "Search and Destroy" and "I Wanna Be Your Dog".

In 2010, The Stooges were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Pop was the lead singer of The Stooges, a late 1960s/early 1970s band that featured brothers Ron and Scott Asheton and Dave Alexander and was highly influential in the development of hard rock. The debut album was produced by the Velvet Underground's John Cale. The band's "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is a garage punk standard.

Raw Power was first released in1973, perhaps the first record that could truly be called punk. It was the confluence of The Stooges ages, hormones, creativity, ability, experience, tastes, lack of supervision, contempt for authority and ambition that has made Raw Power one of the most influential albums of all time.

The Stooges were infamous for performances in which Pop leapt off the stage (hence, the "stage dive"), smeared raw meat or peanut butter over his chest and cut himself with broken bottles. A glimpse of the vibrating intensity of Iggy live can be seen in the Ramones movie "End of the Century." Guitarist James Williamson became a key collaborator, a partnership documented on the 1978 album Kill City.

In 25 years as a solo artist, Pop's best-known songs have included the thumping Lust for Life, to be heard on the soundtrack of the find-a-vein, shoot-it-up movie Trainspotting, I'm Bored and The Passenger (the latter based on a poem written by Jim Morrison). David Bowie played a key role in reinvigorating Pop's post-Stooges career and was a collaborator on the albums Lust for Life and The Idiot. Iggy may be under-rated as a songwriter. Bowie and Tina Turner covered his "Tonight". Bowie also put out his own version of "China Girl," while Grace Jones covered the icey "Nightclubbing".

Beat 'Em Up
Iggy Pop Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You gotta beat em
Beat beat em up
You gotta beat em
Beat beat em up
You gotta beat em
Beat beat em up
Beat em up
Beat em up

You gotta beat em
You gotta beat em
You know they're cheatin' anyhow
You gotta beat em
You gotta beat em
You know they're cheatin' anyhow
You gotta beat em
Beat em up

This life is a numbers game,
The rich the ive, the poor get blamed
The rich are happy , and they're mean,
The poor, just obscene

You gotta beat em
You gotta beat em
You know they're cheatin' anyhow
I gotta beat em
I gotta beat em
You know they're cheatin' anyhow
You gotta beat em
Beat beat beat em up
I gotta beat em
Beat beat beat em up
I gotta beat em
Beat beat beat em up
Beat em up
Beat em up

Nice girl with a heart of gold
A little naive, a little bold
Knocked' up tossed' out and abondoned,
Now she's living on random

You gotta beat em
You gotta beat em
You know they're cheatin' anyhow
She got beat up
She got beat up
You know they're cheatin' anyhow
You gotta beat em
Beat beat beat em up
You gotta beat em
Beat em up

Mom and dad worked and saved,
Good and honest everyday
For they're sweat , what did they get ?
An old age home and a medical debt

You gotta beat em
You gotta beat em
You know they're cheatin' anyhow
They got beat up
They got beat up
You know they're cheatin' anyhow
You gotta beat em
Beat beat beat em up
I gotta beat em
Beat beat beat em up

Come on'
Come on'

We live in a machine, machine,

We live in a machine, machine,
We can't keep up with a machine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Iggy Pop's song "Beat 'Em Up" are a commentary on the unfairness and brutality of life in modern society. The chorus, "You gotta beat em, beat beat em up," is a call to action. It suggests that the only way to survive in a world dominated by corruption and greed is to be as ruthless and violent as those who hold power. The verses provide examples of the types of people who are victimized by this system, from the naive young girl who becomes pregnant and abandoned to the hardworking parents who end up with nothing in old age. The message is clear: in a world where the wealthy exploit and mistreat the less fortunate, the only way to survive is to fight back.

The line "This life is a numbers game, the rich the ive, the poor get blamed" reflects the idea that success in our society is often determined by luck rather than merit. The wealthy are able to stay on top by taking advantage of the less fortunate, and those who are not born into privilege are often accused of being lazy or incompetent. The second verse continues this theme, contrasting the happy and ruthless rich with the poor, who are seen as shameful and obscene.

Overall, "Beat 'Em Up" is a powerful statement on the injustices of modern society and the need for those who have been victimized by it to fight back. Iggy Pop's raw vocals and pounding instrumentation reinforce the urgent tone of the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

You gotta beat em
Life is a competition and you need to beat those who are in your way

Beat beat em up
It's not enough to just win, you need to destroy your opponents

Beat em up
The repetition of this line emphasizes the need to physically and mentally harm those you're competing against

You know they're cheatin' anyhow
Everyone else is cheating, so you have to do whatever it takes to win, even if it's not fair

This life is a numbers game
Life is all about winning and losing, and you need to win more than you lose in order to be successful

The rich the ive, the poor get blamed
The people with money and power are the ones who are celebrated, while the poor are blamed for their own misfortunes

The rich are happy , and they're mean
Having money and power makes people happy, but it also makes them cruel and selfish

The poor, just obscene
People who don't have money or power are looked down upon by society

Nice girl with a heart of gold
There are good people in the world who don't deserve the bad things that happen to them

A little naive, a little bold
Sometimes good people have to take risks and put themselves out there, even if they don't know everything

Knocked' up tossed' out and abondoned,
Bad things happen to good people and they're often left to fend for themselves

Now she's living on random
Life is unpredictable and sometimes people end up in situations they never imagined

Mom and dad worked and saved,
Even when you do everything right, life can still be cruel

Good and honest everyday
Being a good person doesn't always mean you'll be rewarded

For they're sweat , what did they get ?
People who work hard and try to do the right thing don't always get what they deserve

An old age home and a medical debt
Even in old age, people are still burdened by the consequences of the unfairness of life

We live in a machine, machine,
Society is like a machine that grinds people up and spits them out

We can't keep up with a machine
No matter how hard people try, they can't keep up with the demands of society and the competition it creates