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".
Only the Lonely
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some little small cafe
The songs I know only the lonely know
Each melody recalls a love that used to be
The dreams I dream only the lonely dream
Of lips as warm as May
That hopeless scheme only the lonely scheme
And you recall each fun time
Those picnics at the beach when love was new
It well could be the one time
A hopeless little dream like that comes true
If you find love hang on to each caress
And never let love go
For when it's gone you'll know the loneliness
The heartbreak only the lonely know
The song "Only the Lonely" is a mournful and melancholic ballad by Iggy Pop. The lyrics vividly describe the singer's loneliness and heartbreak. From the first verse, he sings about how wherever he goes, he only sees other people who are also lonely. He describes how the songs he knows are also only known by those who are lonely themselves. Each time he hears familiar melodies, it reminds him of a past love that he can't forget, and it makes him feel even more isolated in his pain.
In the second verse, he reveals that his dreams are filled with memories of a former lover's kisses, and he can't help but imagine being with them once again. However, all of his hopes to reunite with his lost love never quite come to fruition, adding to his sense of loneliness and despair. The chorus is a warning to anyone listening to hold onto love when they find it because losing love is something that only one who is already lonely can truly understand.
The song is a poignant ode to a love that once was and a warning to never let go of the love you have because the pain of losing it is unbearable.
Line by Line Meaning
Each place I go only the lonely go
No matter where I go, it seems like I'm the only one there who is alone.
Some little small cafe
Even when I try to find comfort in a cozy little coffee shop, it just makes me feel more alone.
The songs I know only the lonely know
The music that speaks to my heart and soul is the same music that only others who are lonely can relate to.
Each melody recalls a love that used to be
Every song reminds me of a love that I used to have, but has faded away.
The dreams I dream only the lonely dream
My hopes and wishes for the future are ones that seem to only resonate with others who are also lonely and searching for happiness.
Of lips as warm as May
I often dream of kisses that are soft and sweet, like the warmth of a beautiful day in May.
That hopeless scheme only the lonely scheme
Sometimes I create plans and ideas that seem impossible, but they are born out of the desperation that only comes with being lonely.
That soon somewhere you'll find the one that used to care
I hold onto the belief that someday I will reconnect with someone from my past who used to love me, and we can recapture that feeling again.
And you recall each fun time
I remember all the happy times I had with someone I used to love.
Those picnics at the beach when love was new
Specifically, I think of the times we spent together at the beach, when our love was brand new and everything seemed perfect.
It well could be the one time
Perhaps this type of love can only happen once in a lifetime.
A hopeless little dream like that comes true
But it's still worth dreaming about and hoping for, even if the odds are stacked against me.
If you find love hang on to each caress
When love does happen, you have to cherish every moment and never let go of the physical and emotional connection you have with your partner.
And never let love go
Because if you lose that love, you will experience a kind of sorrow and emptiness that only another lonely person can truly understand.
For when it's gone you'll know the loneliness
The loneliness that comes after losing love is a different kind of pain altogether.
The heartbreak only the lonely know
It's a unique and terrible heartbreak that can only be understood by those who have been truly alone.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn
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.