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".
Instinct
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Between joy and reason
Tending carefully my fire
Waiting for my season
I know who these people are
I know what they stand for
Corruption's built into this plan
Nothing's under the other hand
Tricks and trials await the child
Instinct keeps me running
Running like a deer
Instinct keeps me running
Running through the grinning shadows
I have seen the sludgy beach
And the poisoned river
I have met the lordly rich
They're just getting stiffer
This whole place is like a maze
Or like some Medusa
Let me out I can't accept
A certain read life story
Tricks and trials await the child
Instinct keeps me running
Running like a deer
Instinct keeps me running
Running where the sorrow bless me
Instinct keeps me running
Running like a moose
Instinct keeps me running
Running to keep one chance open
Marks on walls, the common outlet
Tell the truth and always will
Marks on wall destroy the thought
Of perfect sunny civilization
Tricks and trials await the child
Instinct keeps me running
Running like a deer
Instinct keeps me running
Running through the grinning shadows
Instinct keeps me running
Running like a bear
Instinct keeps me running
Running to keep one chance open
Instinct keeps me running
Running cause I don't believe it
Instinct keeps me running
Running through the bare emotion
Instinct keeps me running
Instinct keeps me running
Running
I'm running, running, running, running
The lyrics of Iggy Pop's song "Instinct" describe the singer's feeling of being caught between two conflicting states of being, joy and reason. He describes himself as tending his fire carefully, waiting for his moment to come. The singer believes that corruption is built into the plan for this world and that nothing is ever what it seems. The child is left to face tricks and trials in this confusing world.
The chorus of the song talks about how Instinct keeps the singer running like a deer, through grinning shadows and poisoned rivers. He has seen how everything is like a maze and how the lordly rich are just getting stiffer. The world is painted as a place full of sorrow, but nonetheless, he is kept running by his instinct, trying to keep one chance open.
The last part of the song is more cryptic, with marks on walls representing the common outlet and telling the truth, while destroying the thought of perfect sunny civilization. The song is a study of contrasts, with Iggy Pop illustrating the conflict between human nature and rational thought.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing on the borderline
I'm in a position where I'm not entirely sure what's going on.
Between joy and reason
I'm caught between acting emotionally and acting logically.
Tending carefully my fire
I'm being careful with my passion because I know it has the potential to be destructive.
Waiting for my season
I'm waiting for the right moment to take action.
I know who these people are
I understand the people in this world.
I know what they stand for
I understand what people value and care about in this world.
Corruption's built into this plan
This world is inherently corrupt.
Nothing's under the other hand
I can't trust anyone or anything in this world.
Tricks and trials await the child
The world is full of obstacles that will challenge anyone, even the inexperienced.
Instinct keeps me running
My survival relies on following my gut.
Running like a deer
I move quickly and fluidly to avoid danger.
Running through the grinning shadows
I'm navigating the uncertain and unknown.
I have seen the sludgy beach
I've witnessed the dirty and polluted aspects of the world.
And the poisoned river
I've seen how even nature is affected by humanity's actions.
I have met the lordly rich
I've interacted with wealthy and powerful individuals.
They're just getting stiffer
They're becoming more rigid in their beliefs and practices.
This whole place is like a maze
The world is confusing and difficult to navigate.
Or like some Medusa
It's like a monster that turns people to stone.
Let me out I can't accept
I can't tolerate staying in this world.
A certain read life story
I don't want to live according to society's expectations.
Marks on walls, the common outlet
The marks on the wall are proof of a shared experience.
Tell the truth and always will
Being truthful is important.
Marks on wall destroy the thought
The marks on the wall can change someone's perception of the world.
Of perfect sunny civilization
The idea that the world is perfect is false.
Running where the sorrow bless me
I'm using my pain as motivation to keep moving forward.
Running like a moose
I'm charging headfirst towards my goals.
Running to keep one chance open
I'm doing whatever I can to ensure I have opportunities and possibilities in the future.
Running cause I don't believe it
I'm running because I don't believe in the world around me.
Running through the bare emotion
I'm expressing my raw feelings through my movement.
Instinct keeps me running
I rely on my instincts to guide me through life.
Running
I'm always in motion, never stagnant.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAMES OSTERBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
guidoscholl
I think this is a hugely underrated album, but it's full of gems like this one and my favourite Squarehead. You got to hand it to Iggy, between this album and the next (Brick by brick) the Berlin Wall crumbled.
John Jameson
Excellent comeback concert, saw it in Liverpool about 89 if I remember right. Just gotten himself straightened out too. Square head was most memorable for me. Loadsa energy! Amazin guy.
Steve Leonard
I saw him do this whole album at a BAR in Windsor,ontario,WOW!!!
exxumma
I saw him do this whole album at expo theater,,,wow indeed !!
dan thefan
At Metro in chicago~was perfect. Bests, dtf
MT
Discaso¡¡¡un clasico para mi ,es muy parejo todo el album.
Roffe Karlsson
Iggys best album.
Carlitos Oakland
Underrated!
Michael Siebert
i saw him in the philipps-hall in düsseldorf, nov. 1988 - instinct keeps me running!!!
D Plymouth
Instinct keeps me running