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".
Spanish Coast
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Die like a clown with no friend around
This used to be a Spanish town
Die, die, die on a Spanish coast
Die like a fly with no lover to sigh
On a high white box in a pile of rocks
You'll go crazy by the hazy sea
Die, die, die on a Spanish coast
Die like a love when you killed a dove
If you don't believe
Then your angels leave and you lose it
You can't use it, life
The lyrics to Iggy Pop's song Spanish Coast paint a picture of death and isolation. The repetition of "die, die, die" and the reference to dying like a clown or a fly with no friends or lovers around, alludes to a sense of loneliness and despair. The line "this used to be a Spanish town" hints at a past life that has been lost and forgotten, adding to the melancholic tone of the song.
The second verse continues with the theme of isolation and a lack of connection. The image of being on a "high white box in a pile of rocks" creates a sense of detachment from the world, as if the singer is looking down on everything from a distance. The line "you'll go crazy by the hazy sea" suggests that there is no escape from this sense of isolation and that it may even lead to madness.
The final verse brings in the idea of love and loss, with the line "die like a love when you killed a dove". This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the moment when love dies, but also raises the question of why the dove was killed, and by whom. The final lines "if you don't believe then your angels leave and you lose it, you can't use it" suggest that without belief or faith, life loses its meaning and purpose, leaving us with a sense of emptiness and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Die, die, die on a Spanish coast
The singer wishes to meet his end on the coast of Spain.
Die like a clown with no friend around
He wishes to die alone, and estranged from any companionship or fraternity.
This used to be a Spanish town
The song suggests that the place he's in is devoid of its original cultural and historical context.
Die like a fly with no lover to sigh
He desires to pass away like an insignificant, fleeting creature without anyone to mourn his passing.
On a high white box in a pile of rocks
The lyrics describe the vividly painted picture of the artist's final resting place, high above the stony terrain, yet amidst the rocks.
You'll go crazy by the hazy sea
The setting of the singer's demise is in a seaside location where the horizon is blurry, intensifying the picture of impending death and madness.
Die like a love when you killed a dove
The poet compares his end to a tragic act of passion, as if he killed the innocent dove of love leading to his ultimate downfall.
If you don't believe
The verse suggests that if one does not believe in taking risks or chasing one's wildest dreams, they will lose everything of value.
Then your angels leave and you lose it
Angels signify hope and guidance, but if one does not hold on to them, they will soon depart and leave everything in chaos.
You can't use it, life
Life is a precious gift that should be cherished and lived to the fullest, and one should never take it for granted.
Contributed by Juliana M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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.