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".
Heart Is Saved
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Voice from my pocket starts pulling me down
Tells me my bucks ain't enough
And life doesn't have to be rough
But a little white cloud
Tells me what I crave
And the way I feel
And the money goes 'round
And the babes are babes
And the way I feel
Means my heart is saved
Personally I like Midwestern tows
I like the girls there and even the clowns
But now I've been out on the wheel
Out where you're worth what you steal
And I can't go back to a yesterday
No I can't turn back 'cause my heart is saved
And I gotta believe all night and all day
And when I believe my heart is saved
I'm weird and half-dead
There's a fortune in my head
Don't touch me
My heart is saved
Gambling on instincts well here's what I found
Voice from my pocket starts pulling me down
Tells me my bucks ain't enough
And life doesn't have to be rough
But a little white cloud tells me what I crave
And the way I feel means my heart is saved
And I gotta believe all night and all day
And when I believe my heart is saved
The lyrics of Iggy Pop's song Heart Is Saved discuss the theme of gambling and finding solace in one's heart. The singer discusses his instincts and how he has gambled on them. He then talks about someone pulling him down and telling him that his money is not enough. This could represent a temptation to give up or abandon his instincts in favor of something more secure. However, he gets a message from a "little white cloud" telling him what he craves, and he realizes that the way he feels means that his heart is saved.
The singer then talks about his preference for Midwestern towns and their girls and clowns. However, he has been out on the wheel, where people are worth what they steal, and he cannot go back to yesterday. He emphasizes that his heart is saved and he needs to believe it all night and all day. He acknowledges that he is weird and half-dead and has a fortune in his head. He requests nobody to touch him and reiterates that his heart is saved.
Line by Line Meaning
Gambling on instincts well here's what I found
I took a chance and followed my gut feeling and this is what I have discovered
Voice from my pocket starts pulling me down
I have a nagging feeling inside me telling me that something is not right
Tells me my bucks ain't enough
It informs me that the money I have is insufficient
And life doesn't have to be rough
It reminds me that life can and should be enjoyable and not difficult
But a little white cloud
I see something that brings me hope and makes me happy
Tells me what I crave
It informs me of what I truly desire
And the way I feel
The emotions that I am experiencing
Means my heart is saved
Shows that I have found what I have been looking for and I am at peace
And the money goes 'round
Money comes and goes but it doesn't control me
And the babes are babes
I appreciate the beauty of women but I don't let them distract me from what's important
Personally I like Midwestern towns
I have my preferences and Midwestern towns are my favorite
I like the girls there and even the clowns
I enjoy the company of the people there, including the girls and the clowns
But now I've been out on the wheel
I have been out in the world and experienced different things
Out where you're worth what you steal
Out there, people only see the value of what you can steal and not who you are
And I can't go back to a yesterday
I cannot go back to the past
No I can't turn back 'cause my heart is saved
I have found what I was looking for and I will not let anything take it away from me
And I gotta believe all night and all day
I have to keep believing in myself and what I have found, no matter what happens
I'm weird and half-dead
I'm different from others and I feel like a part of me is missing
There's a fortune in my head
I have a lot of ideas and thoughts that could be valuable
Don't touch me
I don't want to be disturbed or harmed
My heart is saved
I have found what I was looking for and I am at peace
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAMES OSTERBERG
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.