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".
Caesar
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I bring you a great army
To preserve peace
In our empire
Throw them to the lions
Darling, let us go to the banquet hall
There will be a great feast tonight!
What is this strange religion?
I've heard it said they turn the other cheek
Ha ha ha ha
Throw them to the lions
Throw them to the lions
Throw them to the lions
Thumbs down
10 pieces of gold for every man
Hail Caesar hail Caesar
Grapes from Sicily
Silks from Asia minor
All the tea in china
Throw them to the lions
Throw them to the lions
Throw them to the lions
Who are these Christians?
Turn the other cheek
Ha ha ha ha ha
Two thumbs down
The Christians are restless
Why not let them worship their god?
No one believes in the old gods
How tiresome, attending the rituals
Paying lip service to the portents
Burning incense at their shrine
No one believes in the old gods
Throw them to the lions
Throw them to the lions
Throw them to the lions
The roman empire the glory of Rome
Hail all hail
Caesar, Caesar, beware beware the ides of march
Who is this man?
Caesar, he is but a soothsayer, he is old
And his brain is addled, pay him no mind!
Throw him to the lions! ha ha ha ha ha ha
Hail Caesar! emperor of Rome hail Caesar!
Caesar, Caesar, beware the ides of march
Eh?! who is this man?
Caesar, he is but an old soothsayer, addled in his brain
Pay him no mind
Throw him to the lions! ha ha ha ha
Throw him to the lions!
No one believes in the old gods,
The empire is tired, Caesar will rest now.
We depart for my chambers
Come darling
"yes Caesar"
Caesar will rest now
Hail Rome hail Caesar hail
Put him in the fiery pit
Ha ha ha ha!
Iggy Pop's song "Caesar" depicts the story of a powerful Roman emperor who brings a mighty army to America in a bid to enforce peace in his empire. However, his real motive is to amass more wealth and enjoy life's pleasures. In the first verse, Caesar addresses the American people and promises them a great feast as he contemplates throwing the Christians to the lions. He mocks their religion that requires them to turn the other cheek when slapped, revealing his disdain for their beliefs.
In the second verse, Caesar laments the people's lack of faith in the old gods and orders the Christians to be thrown to the lions. He offers a reward of ten pieces of gold for every Christian caught, reflecting his greed and his lack of respect for human life. As the song progresses, a soothsayer warns Caesar to beware of the ides of March, but he dismisses it and continues to enjoy his life of extravagance. The song ends with Caesar ordering someone to be put in the fiery pit, suggesting his cruel and ruthless nature.
Overall, "Caesar" is a reflection of the excesses and corruption of those in power and their disregard for the lives of others. It highlights the dangers of unbridled greed and the consequences of abusing power.
Line by Line Meaning
People of America
I am addressing the citizens of Rome
I bring you a great army
I have an army to conquer anything that threatens our empire
To preserve peace
We will use the army to maintain peace
In our empire
Within the boundaries of Rome
Throw them to the lions
Execute those who oppose Rome in the gladiator's arena
Darling, let us go to the banquet hall
Let's go to the party celebrating our triumph over our enemies
There will be a great feast tonight!
We will have a grand celebration with food and drinks
Who are these Christians?
Who are these people who follow a different religion?
What is this strange religion?
What is this unfamiliar belief system?
I've heard it said they turn the other cheek
They don't believe in retaliating when someone harms them
Ha ha ha ha
I find it funny
Thumbs down
A sign of disapproval to sentence someone to death
10 pieces of gold for every man
A reward for those who help bring down our enemies
Hail Caesar hail Caesar
Praise and honor to Caesar
Grapes from Sicily
Food from the conquered lands
Silks from Asia minor
Goods from the exotic East
All the tea in china
An expression meaning we have everything we could ever want
Turn the other cheek
Belief in not retaliating against your enemies
Two thumbs down
Unanimous decision to put someone to death
The Christians are restless
The Christians are unhappy with Rome's oppression
Why not let them worship their god?
Why not allow them to have religious freedom?
No one believes in the old gods
The people are no longer interested in the traditional gods of Rome
How tiresome, attending the rituals
The old Roman religions are becoming obsolete
Paying lip service to the portents
Performing religious rituals without any true belief
Burning incense at their shrine
Offering prayers to the gods without any real belief
The roman empire the glory of Rome
The empire is proud of its achievements
Hail all hail
Praise to the empire
Caesar, Caesar, beware beware the ides of march
A warning to Caesar about a possible assassination plot in March
Caesar, he is but a soothsayer, he is old
The person warning Caesar is just an old man who predicts the future
And his brain is addled, pay him no mind!
His mind is not clear enough to be taken seriously
No one believes in the old gods,
The people of Rome no longer have faith in the traditional gods
The empire is tired, Caesar will rest now.
The empire needs a break from conquering and war
We depart for my chambers
Let's go to my private quarters
Come darling
Come with me
"yes Caesar"
Agreeing to do what Caesar asks
Put him in the fiery pit
Execute the man who warned about the ides of March
Throw him to the lions! ha ha ha ha ha ha
Execute the man who warned about the ides of March in a gruesome and painful way
Hail Rome hail Caesar hail
Praise to Rome and Caesar
Eh?! who is this man?
Who is this person warning me about something?
Caesar, he is but an old soothsayer, addled in his brain
The person warning Caesar is just an old man who predicts the future and is mentally unwell
Throw them to the lions!
Execute those who oppose Rome in the gladiator's arena
No one believes in the old gods,
The people of Rome no longer have faith in the traditional gods
Caesar will rest now
Time for Caesar to take a break
Hail Rome hail Caesar hail
Praise to Rome and Caesar
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ERIC SCHERMERHORN, IGGY POP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
R Robinson
on Livin' On The Edge Of The Night (edit)
Here are corrections to incorrect lyrics - outrageously, stupidly incorrect: The first line is, "ILL WIND off the river". (And that's ill, not I'll.) The second line is, "smoke stacks fade to BLACK". Second verse: "I've made my bed but I can't REST my head". And "so much COULD be misunderstood". Bridge: "WELL maybe it's just my life". An artist crafts his work meticulously , then this is what happens to it. Disgusting.