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".
Rock Show
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You came to see a rock show
A big gigantic cock show
You came to see it all
Rock show
You came to hear it
You came to sneer it
You came to do it all
Do you want to get it for credit?
Forget it
Don't bet it
Call in the medic
It's pathetic
You've gotta let it go
Let's go
Rock show
C'mon
Rock show
You came to see a rock show
This ain't a fucking talk show
You came to see it all
Rock show
You came to fear it
You came to sear it
You came to do it all
Do you want to get it for credit?
Forget it
Don't bet it
Call in the medic
It's pathetic
You've gotta let it go
Do you want to get it for credit?
Forget it
Don't bet it
Call in the medic
It's pathetic
You've gotta let it go
Let's go
Rock show
C'mon
Rock show
Let's go
Rock show
Let's go
Rock show
Let's go
Rock show
C'mon
The song "Rock Show" by Iggy Pop is a tribute to the spectacle of a rock concert. Iggy uses blunt and vulgar language to describe the intensity of a rock show, appealing to the primal emotions of the audience. The chorus, "Rock show, you came to see a rock show, a big gigantic cock show, you came to see it all", sets the tone for the song as Iggy boasts about the grandiosity of the performance. The repetition of "you came to see it all" encourages the audience to fully immerse themselves in the experience.
Iggy Pop continues the theme of the pure sensory experience of a rock concert with the verse, "You came to hear it, you came to sneer it, you came to do it all". He acknowledges that people attend concerts for different reasons, yet encourages them to embrace all aspects of it. The repetition of "do you want to get it for credit?" suggests that music is not a commodity to be acquired or achieved but rather an experience to be enjoyed for its own sake.
The second half of the song addresses the negative aspects of the concert experience. Iggy sings, "Call in the medic, it's pathetic, you've gotta let it go". The excitement of a rock show can sometimes lead to harmful behavior, and Iggy warns against taking it too far. Nevertheless, the chorus is repeated twice more, encouraging the audience to continue indulging in the wildness of the rock show.
Overall, "Rock Show" celebrates the power of rock music and the concert experience, while acknowledging some of the potential downsides.
Line by Line Meaning
Rock show
This is a rock concert
You came to see a rock show
You came to watch live music being performed
A big gigantic cock show
This is a show put on by male performers, and perhaps there is an element of bravado or showmanship involved
You came to see it all
You came to experience the full effect of the concert
Rock show
This is a rock concert
You came to hear it
You came to listen to the music being played
You came to sneer it
You may have a critical or mocking attitude towards the music being played
You came to do it all
You came to fully participate in the event
Do you want to get it for credit?
Are you here to impress someone or gain status?
Forget it
Don't worry about trying to impress anyone
Don't bet it
Don't gamble on the outcome of anything
Call in the medic
If you get too caught up in the excitement or end up injured, there are medical professionals on hand
It's pathetic
It would be foolish to try to prove something through the rock concert experience
You've gotta let it go
It is important to relax and not take anything too seriously
Let's go
It is time to start the show
Rock show
This is a rock concert
You came to see a rock show
You came to watch live music being performed
This ain't a fucking talk show
This is not an occasion for conversation, but an experience to be absorbed
You came to see it all
You came to experience the full effect of the concert
Rock show
This is a rock concert
You came to fear it
Perhaps you're a little bit intimidated by the music or the energy of the crowd
You came to sear it
You came to have your senses heightened by the experience
You came to do it all
You came to fully participate in the event
Do you want to get it for credit?
Are you here to impress someone or gain status?
Forget it
Don't worry about trying to impress anyone
Don't bet it
Don't gamble on the outcome of anything
Call in the medic
If you get too caught up in the excitement or end up injured, there are medical professionals on hand
It's pathetic
It would be foolish to try to prove something through the rock concert experience
You've gotta let it go
It is important to relax and not take anything too seriously
Do you want to get it for credit?
Are you here to impress someone or gain status?
Forget it
Don't worry about trying to impress anyone
Don't bet it
Don't gamble on the outcome of anything
Call in the medic
If you get too caught up in the excitement or end up injured, there are medical professionals on hand
It's pathetic
It would be foolish to try to prove something through the rock concert experience
You've gotta let it go
It is important to relax and not take anything too seriously
Let's go
It is time to start the show
Rock show
This is a rock concert
C'mon
Get involved and participate fully
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Merrill Nisker
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.