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 ↴
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 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
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
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: IGGY POP, WHITEY KIRST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Just_a_guy_who_plays_music_&_videogames_
What a song, what an album 🤘
D frost
Love this song
beerchain inline
Fuck yeah bro!
Victor Messias
#velberan valeu pela indicação.
Felipe Lopes
Vim pelo mesmo motivo dkkddkff
lenfer
+Victor Messias achei que só eu tinha vindo por isso '0'
Hálisson Araújo
Imagine beat everybody up....
atillathehun101
you girls in this iggy space should not be legally allowed to type
xxxAirmidxxx
U GUNA SEEELL ME SUMTHIN FO A PENNY!
Marvin Rodriguez
Project Gotham Racing 1