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".
Search and Destroy
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb
I am a world's forgotten boy
The one who searches and destroys
Honey gotta help me please
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby detonate for me
Look out honey, 'cause I'm using technology
Soul radiation in the dead of night
Love in the middle of a fire fight
Honey gotta strike me blind
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby penetrate my mind
And I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy
And honey I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy
Forgotten boy, forgotten boy
Forgotten boy said hey forgotten boy
The lyrics to Iggy Pop's song "Search and Destroy" are a vivid expression of the angst, rebellion, and unbridled energy that defined the punk rock movement in the 1970s. The song's protagonist adopts a persona of a "street walking cheetah," a wild and dangerous predator who is fueled by rage and destruction. He describes himself as a "runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb," a potent metaphor for the destructive power of youth and the counterculture.
The chorus of the song is a plea for help, a confession of vulnerability hidden beneath the tough exterior of the singer. He asks for someone to "save my soul" and "detonate for me," simultaneously acknowledging his own desperation and the explosive force of his emotions. He uses language that is both violent and sexual, invoking "technology," "soul radiation," and the image of "love in the middle of a fire fight."
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a street walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm
I am a wild and dangerous person filled with anger and explosive energy, ready to take on anyone who crosses my path.
I'm a runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb
I am a product of a broken and violent world, a rebel who rejects authority and existing social norms, much like the destructive force of a nuclear bomb.
I am a world's forgotten boy
I am someone who has been ignored and disregarded by society, left behind and invisible.
The one who searches and destroys
I am on a mission to find and obliterate anything and everything that stands in my way, fueled by my anger and sense of purposelessness.
Honey gotta help me please
I am reaching out for help and support, begging for someone to understand and guide me as I navigate my troubled existence.
Somebody gotta save my soul
I am in desperate need of salvation, a way out of my current state of despair and darkness.
Baby detonate for me
I am asking someone to ignite and fuel my passion, to give me a reason to keep going even when things get tough.
Look out honey, 'cause I'm using technology
I am not afraid to adopt new ways of thinking and using technology to achieve my goals. I am a trailblazer and innovator, always thinking outside the box.
Ain't got time to make no apology
I do not care about the consequences of my actions or how they might affect others. I am too focused on my own mission to worry about apologies.
Soul radiation in the dead of night
I am emitting a powerful energy from within, even in the darkest and most hopeless of moments.
Love in the middle of a fire fight
Despite the chaos and destruction around me, I still hold onto the hope of finding love and connection.
Honey gotta strike me blind
I need someone to help me forget the harsh realities of the world, to distract me and let me live in the moment.
Somebody gotta save my soul
I am pleading for someone to rescue me from the darkness and despair that surrounds me.
Baby penetrate my mind
I am seeking a deep and meaningful connection with someone who can understand me on an intellectual and emotional level.
And I'm the world's forgotten boy
I am someone who has been cast aside by society, ignored and forgotten by those around me.
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy
I am constantly searching for meaning and purpose in my life, and willing to destroy anything that stands in my way.
Forgotten boy, forgotten boy
I am repeating my message, emphasizing my sense of abandonment and loneliness in this world.
Forgotten boy said hey forgotten boy
I am addressing myself as a forgotten boy, a reflection of my own feelings of being ignored and marginalized.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: James Osterberg, James Williamson
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.