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".
Isolation
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Needing you just tore me down
And here I stand in isolation
Feeling emptiness and doubt
Walking down the broken highway
Sucking sugar plain and sweet
Did your mother ever tell you
That the joyful are free
I need some lovin'
Like an inmate needs a dime
I need some lovin'
Like a poet needs a rhyme
Here I stand in isolation
My empty hands in isolation
Walking down the broken highway
Sucking sugar cause it's my way
Find me one heart to complete with
Heading for the farthest reaches
I need some lovin'
Like a body needs a soul
I need some lovin'
Like a fastball needs control
Here I stand in isolation
My empty hands in isolation
Strike up the band
In this proud land
Got a lot to do
Got a lot to say
Got a life to live
Here I stand-
In isolation
In Iggy Pop's song "Isolation," the lyrics depict a sense of loneliness, emptiness, and the search for love and connection. It appears that Iggy is addressing someone he needed badly, but who he believes was only using him. The relationship seems to have caused him pain, and he now finds himself standing in isolation with feelings of emptiness and doubt.
The opening lines, "Needed you, you were only using. Needing you just tore me down," illustrate how the relationship has weakened him, both emotionally and mentally. The language of using and needing implies a sense of dependence, which ultimately leads to disappointment and heartache. The feeling of isolation that he experiences could be attributed to the pain he has suffered, which has caused him to mistrust others and withdraw from the world.
The next set of lines, "Walking down the broken highway, Sucking sugar plain and sweet, Did your mother ever tell you, That the joyful are free," illustrate how he has taken to trying to find solace in things that distract him from his pain. He is walking down a broken highway, indicating that his path has not been easy, and he is sucking on sugar as if to distract himself from his sadness. The final line in this stanza, "Did your mother ever tell you, That the joyful are free," suggests that he believes the cause of his unhappiness lies in the choices he made, and the person he chose to be with.
The next stanza, "I need some lovin', Like an inmate needs a dime, I need some lovin', Like a poet needs a rhyme," is a plea for love and connection. He paints himself as someone who is desperate for love and unable to function without it. He compares himself to an inmate who needs a dime, and a poet who needs a rhyme. Both of these comparisons suggest that he needs love as a basic necessity, something that is vital to his survival.
Overall, "Isolation" is a melancholic song that captures the essence of loneliness, heartbreak, and longing for love. The lyrics speak to the human condition and the need for connection, while also acknowledging the pain that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Needed you, you were only using
I wanted you, but you were just taking advantage of me
Needing you just tore me down
Relying on you just made me feel worse
And here I stand in isolation
Now I'm all alone
Feeling emptiness and doubt
I feel nothing and have no trust
Walking down the broken highway
I'm moving forward, but everything feels broken
Sucking sugar plain and sweet
Trying to find happiness in simple pleasures
Did your mother ever tell you
Have you ever heard the phrase
That the joyful are free
Happiness and freedom go hand in hand
I need some lovin'
I need someone to care about me
Like an inmate needs a dime
As much as a prisoner needs money
Like a poet needs a rhyme
As much as a writer needs inspiration
My empty hands in isolation
I am alone and have nothing
Find me one heart to complete with
I want to find someone to feel whole with
Heading for the farthest reaches
I'm searching far and wide
Like a body needs a soul
As much as a person needs to be fulfilled
Like a fastball needs control
As much as a pitcher needs to throw accurately
Strike up the band
Start the music playing
In this proud land
Among these people who take pride in themselves
Got a lot to do
I'm busy
Got a lot to say
I have things to express
Got a life to live
I have a life to live
Here I stand- In isolation
But I'm still alone
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID BOWIE, NEWELL JR OSTERBERG JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pinup60
this song is like a mix of Bowie and Peter Murphy... I really love Iggy Pop, what a genius
@geremiajonathan1814
Yes
@damyanganchev9723
It IS a mix of Bowie and Iggy Pop, the main characters insist it was written by Iggy, but I most seriously doubt that, it suffice to give an ear to Blue Jean by Bowie to know who wrote Isolation, and if you look closely at 1:56, you will see who plays the sax too 😜
@pinup60
@@damyanganchev9723 😱 I hadn't noticed the sax player...
@marcelomcn1977
Owwww I realy understand you
@Angel-mm2bz
Bowie is credited as a writer, however the sax player is not even mentioned
@richardsaure4392
Brilliant song from a brilliant album, with a little help from his friend, David Bowie. Iggy rules!
@bytorgerhold8008
Iggy Pop for US President! At least he has something to say!
@flemmingbirch3501
Iggy's take on 'Absolute Beginners"
@thevoid99
i heard the album a few months ago in its entirety and i think it's an underrated pop album as iggy had raised the bar as a vocalist on that album.