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".
Knucklehead
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fresh girl in a T-shirt silll looks best
Travel to a sunny quiet land
Layin' on the beach I miss my pests
Life's turning up the pressure
It's makin' me aggressive
The music sounds like dead ham
He's sayin'...
I I I want something from you
I I I want something from you
I I I want something from you
Knucklehead what can you do
What can you do?
One day I went out to buy a truck
I found one that looked so huge and big
Once I got that sucker on the road
I was looking down at everything
And I really liked that
Everyone obeyed me
I thought this is power
Like that religious hour
When the preacher says...
I I I want something from you
I I I want something from you
I I I want something from you
Knucklehead what can you do?
Something from you Something from you
Something from you Something from you
Once the telephone starts ringing I stop thinking
Sittin' at the TV I'm just blinking
Go to the compuler and I'm punching
What's this information that I'm munching
The leader and the followers
The rock star and the model
The general and the perverts
They're poking me where it hurts (ouch!)
I I I want something from you
I I I want something from you
I I I want something from you
Knucklehead what can you do?
In this song, Iggy Pop reflects on the pressures of modern life and the constant desire for more that it creates. He contrasts the superficial desire for material possessions, such as an expensive laptop, with the simplicity and beauty of the natural world, represented by the sunny quiet land and the beach. Despite this, the pressure of modern life is still getting to him, making him aggressive and frustrated with the mediocrity of his surroundings, including the music and the DJ.
The power he feels when driving his huge truck is intoxicating, but ultimately he feels powerless against the constant demands of others. Whether it is the telephone ringing or the endless flow of information on his computer, he is always being pestered for something. In this state, he is a knucklehead, trapped in a cycle of desire and frustration with seemingly no escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Fancy Apple lap top cost 5 grand
Owning expensive gadgets doesn't necessarily mean one is smarter or more fulfilled than others.
Fresh girl in a T-shirt still looks best
Simplicity and authenticity are more attractive than superficiality and artificiality.
Travel to a sunny quiet land
Getting away from the hustle and bustle of modern life can be therapeutic.
Layin' on the beach I miss my pests
Despite the desire for peace and quiet, we still yearn for human connection.
Life's turning up the pressure
The increasing demands and expectations of life can be overwhelming.
It's makin' me aggressive
The stress and frustration can lead to negative emotions and behaviors.
The music sounds like dead ham
The quality of artistic expression can be disappointing or uninspiring.
The dj is a con man
Entertainers and media personalities can be manipulative or deceitful.
He's sayin'...
The artist introduces the repeated chorus of the song.
I I I want something from you
The repeated chorus emphasizes the pervasive nature of consumerism and the desire for affirmation or approval.
Knucklehead what can you do
The name-calling addresses the audience's feeling of impotence or frustration in the face of societal pressures and expectations.
One day I went out to buy a truck
The artist narrates a personal anecdote about acquiring material possessions for status.
I found one that looked so huge and big
The singer's preference for size and grandiosity reflects the American cultural value of excess and ambition.
Once I got that sucker on the road
The singer experiences a sense of empowerment when in possession of the truck.
I was looking down at everything
The singer feels superior to others when empowered by material wealth.
And I really liked that
The artist admits to the pleasure of feeling superior or entitled.
Everyone obeyed me
The artist enjoys power over others when in possession of the truck.
I thought this is power
The singer equates material wealth and class status with power and dominance.
Like that religious hour
The comparison to religious authority suggests that material ownership can provide a sense of moral superiority or righteousness.
When the preacher says...
The reference to religious sermons implies a hypocritical attitude towards power, stating that those who are empowered through material possession usually rely on other types of affirmations.
Once the telephone starts ringing I stop thinking
The distractions of modern life prevent self-reflection and personal growth.
Sittin' at the TV I'm just blinking
Passively consuming media content can be alienating and numbing.
Go to the compuler and I'm punching
The computer has become a symbol of productivity and communication, but also of addiction and conformity.
What's this information that I'm munching
The overconsumption of information can be confusing and disorienting.
The leader and the followers
The singer points out the common dichotomy in our social structures, where power-holders are often worshipped by the powerless.
The rock star and the model
The comparison between media stars illustrates the shallowness and unattainability of modern idols.
The general and the perverts
The singer exposes the dark side of traditional power structures, where authority and corruption are often intertwined.
They're poking me where it hurts (ouch!)
The artist admits to being vulnerable to societal pressures and expectations, and therefore unable to resist them completely.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Iggy Pop
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.