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".

Get The Money
Iggy Pop Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey lucky people, North and South
This is your leader, I'm called "the mouth"
We're gonna play a game that's funny
Get the, get the, get the money

Money, money, money, money, money
Money, money

Walking on the beach, all disenchanted
Blackness in my heart
Anything they want now, they can't stop me,energy goes dead.
Riviera buildings, high, depressing
Look like cookie boxes
In my heart a hurricane is blowing
In my head a clock ticks.
Tic-tack

Get the money, Mr. Potato
Get the money, pay the Eskimo

Money, money, money, money, money

ABC
Schoolboys, schoolgirls, don't make funny
Take a deep breath, get the money

Money, money, money, money, money

A lot of neighborhood, concrete and windows
Up here on the mountain
I wonder if somebody sees me walking
I could hide in that fountain.
Pretty little girl, I like to know her, coming this way
Back in school, I can't believe that I could not obey

Get the money, Mr. Potato
Get the money, pay the Eskimo

Money, money, money, money, money

Crawl on your belly, bust your skull
There's the money, real as hell

William Tell

Money, money, money, money, money
Money, money

I met an actor, river speed boat
He made crabby movies
Robin Maxwell had a yacht
But it didn't die so groovy

Me, I confess, I like to swim and
watch the telly,my news
I've been hanging 'round the beach
But the money pays my kwanos

Get the money, Mr. Potato
Get the money, pay the Eskimo

Money, money, money, money, money,

It's kind of like a fortress, it's kind of like a tomb
Sitting with your money in a near dark room

Feels like a discharge, feels like a death
Feels like a taste of dying breath

Feels like a toad, feels like a frog
Feels like a serpent, all night long

Overall Meaning

The song "Get the Money" by Iggy Pop is a fast-paced, energetic song that appears to satirize and criticize the obsession with money that has become a central theme of our modern society. The song is written in a stream-of-consciousness style, where the singer jumps from scene to scene, reflecting on different aspects of his life and the impact of money on them. The lyrics contain several clever metaphors that convey the disillusionment and despair felt by the singer.

The song opens with the singer addressing "lucky people" from both the North and South, referring to the wealthy individuals who have accumulated power and influence. The singer, who identifies himself as "the mouth," then introduces a game they're going to play, which is essentially a sarcastic representation of the constant pursuit of wealth. The chorus of the song repeats the word "money" over and over again, emphasizing its importance in the modern world.

The singer then reflects on his own experiences, specifically his disillusionment with the superficial lifestyle of the wealthy. He describes the buildings on the Riviera as "depressing" and compares them to "cookie boxes," suggesting their lack of character and identity. The singer also describes feeling disenchanted while walking on the beach, with "blackness" in his heart. He expresses a sense of hopelessness and desperation, as if money is the only way to escape his own sadness and despair.

Overall, "Get the Money" is a clever and insightful commentary on capitalism and the obsession with wealth that drives many individuals in our society. The lyrics are witty and imaginative, conveying a sense of frustration and disillusionment towards the modern world's preoccupation with materialism.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey lucky people, North and South
Greetings to all fortunate individuals residing in the North and South regions.

This is your leader, I'm called "the mouth"
Referring to myself as the mouth, I am addressing you as a leader.

We're gonna play a game that's funny
Announcing we shall partake in an amusing game.

Get the, get the, get the money
Obtain the currency, obtain the currency, obtain the currency.

Walking on the beach, all disenchanted
Walking along the seashore, feeling disillusioned.

Blackness in my heart
Sorrowful emotions reside in my heart.

Anything they want now, they can't stop me,energy goes dead.
My will cannot be thwarted, as I am unstoppable and their efforts are ineffectual.

Riviera buildings, high, depressing
Constructs along the Mediterranean coastline are lofty, yet bleak.

Look like cookie boxes
Resembling boxes of cookies.

In my heart a hurricane is blowing
A tempestuous storm rages within my heart.

In my head a clock ticks.
A clock ticks within my mind.

Tic-tack
As an onomatopoeia, the ticking noise of a clock can be heard.

Money, money, money, money, money
Currency, currency, currency, currency, currency.

ABC
An abbreviation for the English alphabet.

Schoolboys, schoolgirls, don't make funny
Female and male youth attending school should not joke around.

Take a deep breath, get the money
Inhale deeply and obtain the currency.

A lot of neighborhood, concrete and windows
Numerous regions with solid surfaces and panes of glass.

Up here on the mountain
At an elevated position upon a mountaintop.

I wonder if somebody sees me walking
I contemplate if any person observes me strolling.

I could hide in that fountain.
I have the possibility to conceal myself within a fountain.

Pretty little girl, I like to know her, coming this way
A lovely young woman approaches my vicinity, and I desire to acquaint myself with her.

Back in school, I can't believe that I could not obey
Reminiscing on academic life, I cannot fathom my disobedient actions.

Crawl on your belly, bust your skull
Despite the harm it may bring, a person can receive the currency through injury.

There's the money, real as hell
The currency is present, and its authenticity is absolute.

William Tell
A reference to the Swiss legend who shot an apple off his son's head with a crossbow.

It's kind of like a fortress, it's kind of like a tomb
The place where the currency resides is similar to both a fortress and a tomb.

Sitting with your money in a near dark room
Inside a dimly-lit area, surrounded by one's currency.

Feels like a discharge, feels like a death
Sensations similar to both discharge and death are experienced.

Feels like a taste of dying breath
Akin to a person's final exhalation before passing away.

Feels like a toad, feels like a frog
Emotions similar to those felt by a toad or a frog.

Feels like a serpent, all night long
Sensations equivalent to those of a serpent throughout the entire night.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GORAN BREGOVIC, JAMES NEWELL JR. OSTERBERG

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS