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".
Lowdown
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Playing games I don't respect or like
I can't give away my sovereignty
To existence with no song of me
And the hole in my heart
I'm lowdown
There's a hole in my heart
There's a hole in my heart
I'm lowdown
There's a hole in my heart
I'm low
I built myself a beautiful brick wall
Gets a little higher every day
? ignorance inhabits me
Cause I've already chased my love away
And the hole in my heart
I'm lowdown
There's a hole in my heart
I'm low
There's a hole in my heart
I'm lowdown
There's a hole in my heart
I'm low
Take that happy banner off the wall
I don't need to see no smiling face
All I really want's a cup of tea
To feel a warmth inside of me
And the hole in my heart
I'm lowdown
There's a hole in my heart
I'm low
There's a hole in my heart
I'm lowdown
There's a hole in my heart
I'm low
There's a hole in my heart
I'm lowdown
There's a hole in my heart
I'm low
There's a hole in my heart
I'm lowdown
There's a hole in my heart
I'm low
In Lowdown, Iggy Pop talks about his refusal to waste his time or compromise his inherent freedom by doing things he doesn't like or respects. He doesn't want to lose his self-respect by living a life that doesn't have any meaning for him. He sings of the hole in his heart, showing the listener the depth of his pain, loneliness, and despair. The metaphorical brick wall he built around himself is his defensive mechanism that keeps him safe from unwanted emotions and judgments. Still, every day, the wall gets higher and further from the outside world.
The song reflects on the negative impact of ignorance and lacks of self-awareness, leading to self-isolation, and ultimately driving away genuine love. By singing about taking the happy banner off the wall, Iggy Pop makes a statement about his unwillingness to put on a happy face and pretend things are okay. All he wants is a simple pleasure, a cup of tea that will make him feel warm and alive.
Overall, Lowdown is a reflection of the emptiness and isolation experienced by individuals who prioritize their freedom but suffer from the consequences of living solely based on their own terms.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to throw away my time
I don't want to waste my time doing things that don't matter to me
Playing games I don't respect or like
I don't want to participate in activities that I don't approve of or enjoy
I can't give away my sovereignty
I can't relinquish my authority and control over my own life
To existence with no song of me
I can't allow myself to be forgotten or ignored in this world
And the hole in my heart
A sense of emptiness or sorrow within me
I'm lowdown
I feel depressed, dejected, or hopeless
There's a hole in my heart
I feel incomplete or broken in some way
I'm low
I feel sad or down
I built myself a beautiful brick wall
I have protected myself from emotional harm with a strong and aesthetically pleasing barrier
Gets a little higher every day
I continue to add to my defenses and isolation, making it harder for others to reach me on an emotional level
? ignorance inhabits me
I am hindered by my own lack of knowledge, insight or understanding of a particular matter
Cause I've already chased my love away
I have driven away someone who once cared for me
Take that happy banner off the wall
Remove all superficial decoration and falsehoods from my life
I don't need to see no smiling face
I don't want to be faced with fake or insincere expressions of happiness
All I really want's a cup of tea
All I truly desire is something simple and comforting
To feel a warmth inside of me
To find a sense of inner peace or happiness
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: IGGY POP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DailyBrusher
So glad to see that so many of us dig this song, this album. I haven't cared for much of what he's done since New Values, but I think this album has a lot of worthy tunes, and it has stayed with me - I find myself humming these tunes even when I haven't heard them for years. Iggy has always been dependent on his collaborators to reach his own greatness - great that he has Steve Jones here! One of the creators of Rock as we know it today!
José Domingos Soares Santos
Love❤️
Shane cool,video stevens
DailyBrusher k
Marko Bosnjak
Undoubtedly one of the best lyricist of music! Long live Iggy Pop!
Bryan Macshawson
I was strung out to the sky on heroin and coke. ended up with an abcess in my heart hospitalised for 6 weeks and a friend brings me this on cassette . hit home big time
matthew Paterson
Thanks, Iggy for allowing this to be on youtube.
Susan Phillips
I've been looking for this song for YEARS!!! Brother had the cassette, and I played this song all the time.
Susan Phillips
@Kayla Bond
Literally thrashed the crap out of his cassette, if he'd had the c.d at the time...I would have stolen it and claimed innocence.
Kayla Bond
It's a great song!
Perle Pinpin
Just Perfect IGGY🔥our voice bring Emotions, chills, 💥I’m like and love you » Lowdown « 🎼💕