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".

Hate
Iggy Pop Lyrics

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An evil look that tells me to fuck off
From the one who 'll never treat me soft
I start to boil and to concentrate
On images of anger and of hate
These are the ways I feed my hate
These are the lights that burn too late
These are the ways I feed my hate
These me the lights that burn too late

the mean stupidity of what he says
The millions who admire it and they spread
And all I want to feel is just them dead
And have to eat the things they did and said
These are the ways I feed my hate
These are the lights that burn so late
These are the ways I feed my hate
These are the lights that burn too late
Hate

Why am I afraid?
Afraid

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Iggy Pop's "Hate" are a reflection of the rage and destructive emotions that are often felt by those who feel marginalized and disrespected by society. The song begins with lyrics that express the singer's frustration with someone who is treating him poorly, and the feeling of boiling anger that builds up as a result. The lyrical theme of hatred is further developed as the chorus repeats that these are the ways he feeds his hate, and that these are the lights that burn too late.

As the song progresses, Iggy Pop goes deeper into the reasons for his hatred. He describes the "mean stupidity" of those who say and do things that he finds despicable, and the many people who support them. The singer is angry not just at specific individuals, but at the entire system that allows such behavior to flourish. The chorus repeats once again, emphasizing how the hatred grows and burns inside the singer.

The song ends with the singer questioning why he is afraid. This line is open to interpretation, but it can be interpreted as a realization that the hatred he feels is not serving him well, and that there may be better ways to deal with the emotions that he is experiencing.

Line by Line Meaning

An evil look that tells me to fuck off
Someone is giving Iggy Pop a nasty look and telling him to leave them alone.

From the one who 'll never treat me soft
The person who is giving him this look has never been kind or gentle to him.

I start to boil and to concentrate
Iggy is starting to get really mad and focuses his energy on his anger.

On images of anger and of hate
He starts imagining violent and hateful things.

These are the ways I feed my hate
This is how I fuel my anger and hate.

These are the lights that burn too late
These thoughts and feelings are overwhelming and it's too late to turn back.

the mean stupidity of what he says
Iggy Pop is disgusted by the cruel and ignorant things that this person says.

The millions who admire it and they spread
He despises the people who support and spread this hateful rhetoric.

And all I want to feel is just them dead
He wishes harm upon these supporters of hate.

And have to eat the things they did and said
He wants them to suffer the consequences of their actions and words.

Hate
The intense emotion that fuels his desire for revenge against those who spread hate.