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".
Death Is Certain
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Better than all the rest
On the dutiful lies in the rock paradise
Losses and wear and the texture of age
Adds a truth to the heart
And a light to the face
It's good when you don't give as
As you did when the threats mount
To make you suck
A burst of rage
A lively cry
Emotions wide
Your death is certain for sure
My death is certain alright
But death is certain no cure
'Cause death is certain
'Cause death is certain so why?
Gotta die
A bone and a skull
In a conjugal hell
A mall full of gall
And the music jerks off
Pale and fate
At the table they sat
With their necks choking tight
In their collars dead white
Liquor and food 'till
They spin and explode
In a shower of crap
In America's lap
A pliceman's numb
A lazy bum
Emotions come
'Cause death is certain it's sure
'Cause death is certain it's pure
'Cause death is certain no cure
'Cause death is certain
'Cause death is certain that's why
Gotta die
Alright
Alright
Well, alright
Alright [Repeat: x6]
A beast with legs
A kid who's numb
A lazy bum
Your death is certain it's sure
'Cause death is certain it's pure
'Cause death is certain no cure
'Cause death is certain
Iggy Pop's "Death Is Certain" is a song that delves deeply into the inevitability of death and the acceptance of it. The opening lines "Death is the best, Better than all the rest" suggests that death is superior to all other outcomes in life. The song goes on to describe how the "texture of age" and "losses and wear" bring a "truth to the heart and a light to the face." Essentially, it is saying that death is the only thing that is certain, and therefore it is a liberating experience where one can finally let go of all of their troubles and worries.
The verses of the song describe various scenarios where death is present, such as in a "conjugal hell" or in a "mall full of gall." The song also touches on how death comes for everyone regardless of circumstance, whether it be a "policeman's numb" or a "lazy bum." At the same time, it expresses how one can find freedom and release in death.
Overall, the song is a reflection on the inevitability of death and how one can find peace and acceptance in it. It suggests that death is not something to fear but rather to embrace as a natural part of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Death is the best
There is nothing better than death
Better than all the rest
There is nothing superior to death
On the dutiful lies in the rock paradise
In the fake world of fame and rock music, the idea of death seems like a duty or responsibility
Losses and wear and the texture of age
As you age, the experiences of losing and enduring hardships creates texture in your life
Adds a truth to the heart
These hardships ultimately provide clarity and wisdom
And a light to the face
This clarity and wisdom can be seen in the expressions on the faces of those who have survived life's hardships
It's good when you don't give as
It's liberating when you stop caring
Much of a fuck
About anything or what anyone thinks
As you did when the threats mount
As you did when you used to feel threatened
To make you suck
To make you feel inferior or weak
A burst of rage
A sudden outburst of anger
A lively cry
An emotional release
Emotions wide
A range of emotions
Your death is certain for sure
Death is inevitable for all of us
My death is certain alright
The singer acknowledges that they will also die
But death is certain no cure
Death cannot fix anything
'Cause death is certain
Because death is a fact of life
'Cause death is certain so why?
Why be afraid of something that is going to happen anyway?
Gotta die
We all have to die eventually
A bone and a skull
The physical remains of a human body after death
In a conjugal hell
In a miserable partnership or marriage
A mall full of gall
A place of materialistic consumerism
And the music jerks off
The music is vulgar and crude
Pale and fate
The end result is grim and predetermined
At the table they sat
People gather together to eat
With their necks choking tight
The atmosphere is tense and uncomfortable
In their collars dead white
People wear formal clothing, but the mood is dull and lifeless
Liquor and food 'till
They drink and eat until they can't anymore
They spin and explode
They become lost in a blur of self-destruction
In a shower of crap
They have a messy and ungraceful downfall
In America's lap
This behavior is symbolic of the unsustainable excess of American culture
A pliceman's numb
Even the enforcer of society's laws is desensitized
A lazy bum
Everyone is apathetic and unmotivated
'Cause death is certain it's sure
Death is an absolute certainty
'Cause death is certain it's pure
Death is unadulterated and unchangeable
'Cause death is certain no cure
Death cannot be remedied
'Cause death is certain
Death is a fact
'Cause death is certain that's why
The inevitability of death should not be feared
Alright
Acknowledging the truth of death and agreeing with it
Well, alright
Expressing acceptance and willingness to move forward
A beast with legs
The physical manifestation of death
A kid who's numb
A young person who is desensitized to the concept of death
A lazy bum
Everyone is lethargic and unmotivated
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: IGGY POP, WHITEY KIRST, WHITNEY KIRST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SpectrumRob
My fav off this album and certainly one of his best later day rockers. The new album has some good ones too, gonna buy it soon. So glad Iggy's still doing it ;))
virmico1
you can't play this loud enough......
Chris Donovan
Ultimate driving song...late at night
Jamie A2Z83
forgot about this song. awesome
Chris Waet
Fucking Whitey Kirst is the man, the shit he was a part of writing is the best out of the 90's iggy stuff!
SpectrumRob
A true rocker like Butthole Surfers Earthquake ;)
Bajskorv Mums
we're all gonna die, so party off!!!
Jamie A2Z83
yep
balázs kiss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rCB8ZOLgXI
balázs kiss
death is opposite of birth
life is eternal