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".
Sixteen
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Body and soul, I go crazy
Baby, baby, I'm a hungry
Sweet sixteen
Funky bar all full of faces
Pretty faces, beautiful faces
Body and soul
I give to you
I am an easy mark with my broken heart
Sweet sixteen
Show you my explosion, sweet sixteen
Go out to the funky bar I get hurt, crying inside
'Cause everybody's so fine
And they don't need me
Tell me what can I do, sweet sixteen?
I give my body and soul sweet sixteen
I must be hungry
'Cause I go crazy
Over your leather boots
Now baby
I know
That's not normal
But I love you
I love you
I love you
Sweet sixteen
Everywhere I go, I'm lonely
The lyrics of Iggy Pop's song "Sixteen" are a depiction of a young and vulnerable girl who is intensely infatuated with someone older and unavailable. The girl is sixteen and is shown to be in a state of emotional turmoil due to her inability to attract the attention of those around her. The lyrics convey a sense of desperation and isolation as the girl's deep longing for love and companionship is not reciprocated. The lyrics also reflect the girl's confusion and naivety as she tries to navigate through the complexities of love and relationships.
The girl's obsession with the man is evident from the opening lines of the song, where she is described as wearing "leather boots," a symbol of rebellion and sexuality. The girl is overwhelmed with desire and goes "crazy" when he is around. She feels like an "easy mark" with her "broken heart" and is willing to give her "body and soul" to be with him. However, her desperation is not reciprocated, and she is left feeling rejected, lonely, and crying inside.
Throughout the song, the girl is longing for someone to understand her, to appreciate her, and to love her. Her feeling of loneliness, isolation, and rejection is a recurring theme, and the constant repetition of "sweet sixteen" emphasizes her youth and inexperience. The lyrics are an insightful portrayal of the vulnerability and naivety of young girls who often fall prey to the desires of older men, highlighting the emotional complexities of love, desire, and vulnerability.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet sixteen in leather boots
A young girl in her teens is wearing attractive leather boots.
Body and soul, I go crazy
I am entirely passionate and impulsive about this experience of being in love.
Baby, baby, I'm a hungry
I am longing and yearning for you more and more.
Sweet sixteen
I find you, my teenage crush, utterly irresistible and captivating.
Funky bar all full of faces
The club is packed with many different people and personalities.
Pretty faces, beautiful faces
There are gorgeous and attractive individuals all around me.
Body and soul
My heart and spirit are completely invested in this experience.
I give to you
I am vulnerable and open in my love and affection for you.
I am an easy mark with my broken heart
I have been hurt before and am thus susceptible to falling in love quickly.
Show you my explosion, sweet sixteen
I am willing and eager to express my passion and emotions to you, my crush.
Go out to the funky bar I get hurt, crying inside
When I go out to the club and cannot be with you, I am filled with emotional pain and sadness.
'Cause everybody's so fine
All the other attractive people around me make me feel insecure and insignificant.
And they don't need me
I feel like I am unimportant and insignificant to the people around me.
Tell me what can I do, sweet sixteen?
I am searching for a solution or a way to gain your attention and affection.
I give my body and soul sweet sixteen
I am willing to offer myself completely to you, my crush.
I must be hungry
I feel powerful longing and desire for you, my crush.
'Cause I go crazy
My feelings for you are so intense that they overwhelm my rational thinking and behavior.
Over your leather boots
Your attractive leather boots are a significant part of why I find you so captivating.
Now baby
I am addressing you, my crush.
I know That's not normal
I am aware that my feelings and behavior towards you may be irrational and extreme.
But I love you
Despite this awareness, I cannot help but feel deeply in love with you.
Sweet sixteen
You remain captivating and irresistible to me, my teenage crush.
Everywhere I go, I'm lonely
Without you, I feel as though I am missing something essential and am left feeling lonely.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Iggy Pop
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.