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".
Perverts in the Sun
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our power is mostly mouth
Miami beach to Malibu
Hot weather makes'em wanna screw
Shemales, jumps bails
Weird tales on the scales
If it fails chip'n dale
Hit the gym in animal skin
Perverts in the sun
Perving everyone
Perverts in the sun
Perving everyone
Fruit punch
Go to crunch
Take a pill
Lose your will
Get a job, in street promotion
Pushing handbills on the ocean
Gang fights all night
Garbages can's got a tan
Rich men and hungry chicks
Stick'em in the blender - hey big spender !
Perverts in the sun
Perving everyone
Perverts in the sun
Perving everyone
O.J, O.J, Jose Sammy too, got nothin' to do
The realtor hit the floor
He's disgusted
Wants to get'em all busted
Perverts in the sun
Perving everyone
Perverts in the sun
Perving everyone
You guys are perverts
Perverts in the sun
Perving everyone
Perverts in the sun
Perving everyone
Perverts in the sun
Perving everyone
The song "Perverts in the Sun" by Iggy Pop is a critique on the decadence and perversion that runs rampant in American society. The opening lines indicate that the country is moving south, referring to the migration of people from the north to the southern states, where the weather is hotter and more conducive to sexual behavior. The lyrics critique the obsession with physical appearance and sexuality, with lines like "hit the gym in animal skin" and "stick'em in the blender - hey big spender!"
The chorus repeats the phrase "perverts in the sun, perving everyone," emphasizing the widespread nature of this behavior. The second verse describes the use of drugs to escape reality and the degradation of work, with the description of "pushing handbills on the ocean" and "garbage cans got a tan." The following lines mock the wealthy and those who exploit others for their own pleasure, including references to O.J. Simpson and real estate agents.
Overall, the song presents a cynical view of American culture, highlighting its obsession with sex, appearance, and pleasure-seeking.
Line by Line Meaning
The USA is movin' south
The country is expanding towards the south
Our power is mostly mouth
We don't have much actual power, just words
Miami beach to Malibu
From one coast to the other
Hot weather makes'em wanna screw
The heat makes people want to have sex
Shemales, jumps bails
Transgender people and those who dodge the law
Weird tales on the scales
Stories so strange, they tip the scales towards disbelief
If it fails chip'n dale
If all else fails, resort to male strippers
Hit the gym in animal skin
Work out at the gym wearing animal skin
Perverts in the sun
People engaging in sexual activity in broad daylight
Perving everyone
Making everyone else uncomfortable with their actions
Fruit punch
A drink so sweet it's like punch
Go to crunch
Get to work
Take a pill
Pop a pill to alter one's state of mind
Lose your will
Become easily swayed and controlled
Get a job, in street promotion
Find work handing out flyers on the street
Pushing handbills on the ocean
Trying to promote something that is already widely available
Gang fights all night
Violent clashes between rival gangs throughout the night
Garbages can's got a tan
Even the trash cans have a tan from the constant sun
Rich men and hungry chicks
Wealthy older men and young, attractive women
Stick'em in the blender - hey big spender!
Blend together the rich and the young in a hedonistic free-for-all
O.J, O.J, Jose Sammy too, got nothin' to do
Celebrity names thrown in for no reason
The realtor hit the floor
Someone involved in the sale of property is feeling overwhelmed by it all
He's disgusted
He feels repulsed by the behavior around him
Wants to get'em all busted
Wants to put an end to the perverse behavior
You guys are perverts
Saying directly to those who are engaging in inappropriate behavior
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALEX KIRST, IGGY POP, PETER MARSHALL, WHITEY KIRST
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.