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".
I Left The Luxury
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I pulled in the drive
Wearing leopard skin velvet
And shiny black eyes
"She looks like a sleeper"
Said my wife at the time
She had curls like Delilah
She held my poor corpse
Like she'd never be done
And the caption in my mind said
"This is the one"
But I'm strong and I'm disciplined
And I avoided her for years
'Till one night, as usual
With my heart full of tears
A hand touched my back
And she was standing right there
Then I felt the luxury of her
I felt the luxury of her
I felt the luxury of her
I felt the luxury
Whispering
Whispering
Now I'll try hard to tell things just like they is
How my life was a desert before she came in
And wrecked it and ripped it and rubbed my nerves thin
How I liked to see her little feet pad around the house
The way she curled up quietly on the couch
I can still see her in my mind that way now
Aah I felt the luxury of her
I felt the luxury of her
I felt the luxury of her
Well time went by quickly
And her confidence grew
And she wanted this and that
And she wanted those too
And she wouldn't shut up
And one day I just blew up
Now she's in the hospital
For the second time
Maybe she'll die
Maybe I'll cry
Therapists would say
"You're in denial"
But love became inconvenient
Love became a literal drag
Very bad for business
I'd be better off a fag
She's a model de sport
That I can't afford
'Cause I'm a practical American
From the Middle-West
And I can piss on a grave
While welcoming guests
If cold's what I am
I'm cold 'till the end
And I felt the luxury of her
I felt the luxury of her
Now I'm gonna continue walking
In the modern world
Which justifies every egotistical perversion
With scientific talk
And new ways to walk
But I'll remember the religion
She became to me
And the other person I could have been
So for now I'll say so long
I gotta go do wrong
I gotta go do wrong
I felt the luxury
I felt the luxury
I felt the luxury
Aah, Luxury
The lyrics of "I Felt the Luxury" by Iggy Pop; Medeski Martin & Wood paint a vivid picture of a man who has encountered a woman who has upended his life. At first, he tries to resist her allure but eventually succumbs and describes feeling the "luxury" of her presence. He describes her as confident and demanding, causing him to be pushed to his limits. Despite the complications their relationship presents, he is unable to shake the feeling of "luxury" that she brought into his life. Ultimately, he claims to be changed by their relationship, and while he must continue to "do wrong," he will always remember the impact she had on him.
The song deals with themes of love and desire, the struggle of resisting temptation, the impossible nature of relationships, and the human experience of being drawn to something toxic. The lyrics’ vivid imagery and Iggy Pop’s distinctive voice bring the story to life, producing a deeply affecting narrative.
Line by Line Meaning
She sat on the pavement
As I pulled in the drive, I saw a woman sitting on the pavement.
Wearing leopard skin velvet
The woman was wearing velvet clothes with leopard pattern.
And shiny black eyes
She had bright, shining black eyes.
"She looks like a sleeper"
My wife whispered to me that she looked as if she was sleeping.
She had curls like Delilah
The woman had curly hair like Delilah from the Bible.
And a smile like the sun
She had a smile that was as bright and cheerful as the sun.
She held my poor corpse
As I approached, the woman hugged me tightly.
Like she'd never be done
It felt like she was never going to let me go.
And the caption in my mind said
In my mind, I thought that this woman could be "the one" for me.
"This is the one"
I felt like this woman could be the perfect partner for me.
But I'm strong and I'm disciplined
Despite feeling drawn to her, I tried hard to resist my feelings.
And I avoided her for years
I stayed away from her for a long time.
'Till one night, as usual
One night, as usual, I was feeling sad and depressed.
With my heart full of tears
I was crying when suddenly someone placed a hand on my back.
A hand touched my back
I was startled to feel someone touching my back.
And she was standing right there
It was the woman I had seen sitting on the pavement.
Then I felt the luxury of her
As we talked, I started to feel the indulgence of being with her.
Whispering
We spoke to each other quietly.
Now I'll try hard to tell things just like they is
I'll try to tell you the truth about my relationship with her.
How my life was a desert before she came in
Before I met her, I felt like my life had been barren and unfulfilling.
And wrecked it and ripped it and rubbed my nerves thin
However, our relationship was tumultuous and exhausting.
How I liked to see her little feet pad around the house
Even with our difficulties, I enjoyed watching her move around my house.
The way she curled up quietly on the couch
She had a serene and peaceful way of curling up on my couch.
I can still see her in my mind that way now
I still remember her like that after all these years.
Well time went by quickly
As time went on, our relationship changed quickly.
And her confidence grew
She became more confident in herself and her desires.
And she wanted this and that, And she wanted those too
She became increasingly demanding, wanting more and more.
And she wouldn't shut up
She was talking all the time and wouldn't stop.
And one day I just blew up
I finally snapped and became very angry.
Now she's in the hospital
As a result of our fight, she has been hospitalized.
For the second time
This wasn't her first time going to the hospital as a result of our disagreements.
Maybe she'll die
There's a chance that she won't survive this time.
Maybe I'll cry
I might cry at the thought of her dying.
Therapists would say
Some therapists might say that I'm in denial about my feelings.
"You're in denial"
This is what therapists might say to me.
But love became inconvenient
Our love became difficult and problematic.
Love became a literal drag
Our relationship became more like a burden that I had to bear.
Very bad for business
It negatively affected my day-to-day work.
I'd be better off a fag
Some people might think that I'd be happier if I were gay.
She's a model de sport, That I can't afford
She has expensive tastes that I cannot fund.
'Cause I'm a practical American, From the Middle-West
As a practical person from the Midwest, I cannot justify spending so much money.
And I can piss on a grave, While welcoming guests
I have the ability to carry out two opposing actions at once.
If cold's what I am, I'm cold 'till the end
If I'm seen as having a cold personality, I'll remain that way for my entire life.
And I felt the luxury of her
In spite of everything, I do not regret the brief moments of luxury that she brought into my life.
Now I'm gonna continue walking
I'll continue moving forward with my life.
In the modern world
As I live in the present day and age.
Which justifies every egotistical perversion
A time when people feel justified in indulging every one of their egoistic desires.
With scientific talk
Often justifying their actions with scientific explanations.
And new ways to walk
Some people believe that there are new and innovative ways to navigate life.
But I'll remember the religion, She became to me
However, I'll never forget the comfort and stability she brought to my life like a religion.
And the other person I could have been
I'll always wonder about what kind of person I could have been if I stayed with her.
So for now I'll say so long
But for now, I'm saying goodbye.
I gotta go do wrong
I need to continue making bad decisions.
I felt the luxury
I have experienced something luxurious and special.
Aah, Luxury
Ah, the luxury of a life that is not my own.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANTHONY JOHN MEDESKI, CHRIS WOOD, JAMES NEWELL JR OSTERBERG, WILLIAM MARTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
last unctives
Yeah this is a ballad !!!
Roberto Duran
I'm a practical american, from the middlewest.
I can pee on a grave, while welcoming guests ...
Tristan Muntadas
T H E O N E