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".
Inferiority Complex
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Inferiority complex
Waiting for the tugboat of respect
Inferiority complex
Trying to see the good side of a bad life
Showing real courage with a sad wife
Your soul is full of holes air could blow through
People are strange when they don't respect
Inferiority complex
People are mean when they get the chance
Won't anybody have this dance
People are weird when they don't respect
Inferiority complex
Are you heel or just a toe?
It's hard to say cause you feel so low
The man is eying and you like a suspect
Inferiority complex
Your every word is something to correct
Inferiority complex
Everything about you repels sunshine
Every deep desire leaves you flat lined
Walking trough the world you leave no traces
You don't feel a part of any places
People are strange when there's no respect
Inferiority complex
People are bad when they get the chance
Won't anybody have this dance
People are strange when there's no respect
Inferiority complex
It's hard to say when you're down so low
So low
Inferior but not a bore
Inferior but not a bore
Inferior but not a bore
Inferior but not a bore
Iggy Pop's song, Inferiority Complex, is a melancholic piece that talks about the feeling of insecurity and inadequacy that some people experience in their lives. The lyrics of the song paint a vivid picture of the singer standing on the poop deck of a wreck, waiting for the tugboat of respect to arrive. The phrase "Inferiority Complex" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the theme of the song.
The singer is depicted as someone who is trying to see the good side of a bad life and showing courage despite having a sad wife. However, their soul is full of holes, and they feel like people they encounter in their lives don't want to know them. They feel strange, weird, and mean when people don't respect them. The song's lyrics also hint at the singer feeling like they don't belong anywhere, and they leave no traces as they walk through the world.
The chorus of the song emphasizes how strange and mean people can be when they don't respect others. The singer's low self-esteem is also evident when they question whether they are a heel or just a toe. Overall, the song portrays a sense of hopelessness that arises from feeling like an outsider and a lack of respect from others.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing on the poop deck of a wreck
Feeling lost and hopeless in a dire situation
Inferiority complex
Deep-seated feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem
Waiting for the tugboat of respect
Longing for validation and acknowledgement from others
Trying to see the good side of a bad life
Struggling to maintain a positive outlook in the face of hardship
Showing real courage with a sad wife
Displaying bravery in dealing with personal challenges and supporting a spouse who is also struggling
Your soul is full of holes air could blow through
Feeling empty and devoid of purpose, as though one's inner self is insubstantial
People that you meet don't want to know you
Experiencing rejection and alienation from others due to one's social awkwardness or insecurities
People are strange when they don't respect
Others behave in unexpected or unpleasant ways when they fail to treat someone with the consideration or dignity they deserve
People are mean when they get the chance
Individuals will often take advantage of a perceived weakness in another person, using it as an opportunity to behave cruelly or disrespectfully
Won't anybody have this dance
Feeling unlovable or undesirable, and struggling to form meaningful connections with others
Are you heel or just a toe?
Questioning one's sense of identity and whether they have any worth or value
The man is eying and you like a suspect
Feeling constantly under scrutiny and suspicion from others, as though one is being judged or evaluated harshly
Your every word is something to correct
Being hyper-aware of one's flaws or mistakes, and feeling as though others are constantly judging or criticizing them
Everything about you repels sunshine
Feeling as though one's presence brings negativity or gloominess, and that one is a burden on others
Every deep desire leaves you flat lined
Experiencing a sense of hopelessness or despair in the face of one's unfulfilled ambitions and dreams
Walking trough the world you leave no traces
Feeling as though one has no impact or influence on the world around them, and that one's existence is ultimately meaningless
People are bad when they get the chance
Individuals will often act in selfish, deceitful, or malicious ways when they perceive an opportunity to do so
It's hard to say when you're down so low
Struggling to articulate one's feelings or thoughts when they feel overwhelmed by negative emotions
Inferior but not a bore
Acknowledging one's flaws and shortcomings, but insisting that they still have value and interesting qualities as a person
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALEX KIRST, IGGY POP, PETER MARSHALL, WHITEY KIRST
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.