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".
Five Foot One
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!
I'm only five foot one
I got a pain in my neck
I'm looking up in the city
What the hell what the heck
The girders eye high
The steel's above me
There's love in my eyes
And I'm doing the things
A five foot one man can do
I'm only five foot one
I got a pain in my heart
All the night I'm working
In the amusement park
With a bottle of aspirin
A sack full of jokes
I wish I could go home
With all the big folks
And I wish life could be
Swedish magazines
I wish life could be
Swedish magazines
I wish life could be
Anything
I'm only five foot one
Unless the time has come
I won't grow anymore
Anymore, anymore, anymore
'Till I'm losing my head
I'm checkin' it twice
I'm gonna find out who's naughty and nice
And I'm doing the things a five foot one man can do
I wish life could be Swedish magazines [Repeat: x3]
I wish life could be
Yeah, I wish life could be
Oh
I wish life could be
I wish life could be Swedish magazines
I wish life could be Swedish magazines
I wish life could be
I won't grow anymore [Repeat: x3]
Anymore, anymore, anymore, anymore, anymore
I'm only five foot one [Repeat: x3]
I'm five foot one
The song "Five Foot One" by Iggy Pop is primarily about the singer's struggles with his physical height and the limitations it presents in his life. He laments about constantly having to look up at the towering structures in the city, as well as feeling inadequate around other people. The singer's height also affects his work life, as he spends all night working in an amusement park and longs to be home with the "big folks." He wishes for a life that is as glamorous and sophisticated as a Swedish magazine, but ultimately knows that he is limited by his height.
However, the song is not purely a downbeat lament. There are moments of unexpected humor and playfulness that shine through, particularly in the repetition of the line "I'm only five foot one" which is a humorous nod to the feeling of being constantly overlooked. The "ugh! ugh! ugh!" interjections also add a playful, almost childlike quality to the song, as if the singer is throwing a bit of a tantrum about his height. Overall, "Five Foot One" is a poignant and relatable exploration of the way that physical limitations can impact our daily lives and sense of self.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, I like it
Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!
The singer is expressing his enjoyment with sounds of pleasure.
I'm only five foot one
I got a pain in my neck
I'm looking up in the city
What the hell what the heck
The singer is only 5ft1 making him feel inferior in the city amongst all the tall buildings and people.
I stare at the concrete
The girders eye high
The steel's above me
There's love in my eyes
And I'm doing the things
A five foot one man can do
Despite his challenges, the singer is pushing forward and continuing to do the best he can.
I'm only five foot one
I got a pain in my heart
All the night I'm working
In the amusement park
With a bottle of aspirin
A sack full of jokes
I wish I could go home
With all the big folks
The singer is working in an amusement park, feeling sad and wishing he could belong with the 'big folks.'
And I wish life could be
Swedish magazines
I wish life could be
Swedish magazines
I wish life could be
Anything
The singer is expressing his desire for a better life, as symbolized by Swedish magazines, but is open to any improvement beyond his current struggles.
I'm only five foot one
Unless the time has come
I won't grow anymore
Anymore, anymore, anymore
'Till I'm losing my head
I'm checkin' it twice
I'm gonna find out who's naughty and nice
And I'm doing the things a five foot one man can do
The singer is resigned to his height but continues to work hard, trying his best to make something of himself and succeed.
I wish life could be Swedish magazines [Repeat: x3]
I wish life could be
Yeah, I wish life could be
Oh
I wish life could be
I wish life could be Swedish magazines
I wish life could be Swedish magazines
I wish life could be
The repetition of the desire for a better life emphasises the singer's yearning for something more and the persistent challenges he faces.
I won't grow anymore [Repeat: x3]
Anymore, anymore, anymore, anymore, anymore
I'm only five foot one [Repeat: x3]
I'm five foot one
The singer, being only 5ft1, cannot grow taller and feels stuck and frustrated in his current position in life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: IGGY POP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@koodadyed
I only heard this song for the first time a few days ago. It was on TV. What an awesome song!!
@Alfred..E..Neuman
Are you only 5 foot one too? 🤔
@jamesschaidt1096
Check out his tune, "knocking them down in the city."
@admiralsmelling1666
New Values is a great album.
@GarethGillatt
That it is. Five foot one, I'm Bored, Girls, Endless Sea so many great songs
@chrisrice3551
I'm finding that out myself..totally missed it.
@Ronno4691
@@GarethGillatt Angel is an amazing song too
@emilypalacios7192
Don't look down....
@kurtspringer4071
@@emilypalacios7192 ya musnt forget I'm bored
@jonesy2111
Iggy is just the best and I've been a fan for many years. Live he peels the paint off the wall... Best show I ever saw