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".
Turn Blue
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, rolling along down below my window
That black girl in the back looks pretty good
Christ, she's beautiful
You know how soft she is
Just what you feel like
Oh, and I'm so far away from her
You
You might as well come with me
When you ride the ride
There's talk and I don't wanna talk
Oh momma, I shot myself down
Oh momma, I shot myself down
Oh momma, I shot myself down
Oh momma, oh momma, I tell ya, I shot myself down
They're stepping on our hearts (stepping on our hearts)
Stepping on our hearts
I don't know why they're stepping on our hearts (stepping on our hearts)
Stepping on our hearts
Damn, I don't know why
Stepping on our hearts, stepping on our hearts
Stepping on our hearts, stepping on our hearts
Stepping on our hearts
Can't you see?
You know, stepping on your hearts
How come the blacks, how come they, they copy you so good?
They get off on you, so ooh, sexually
If you wanna make it
Young man, you gotta make somebody come
Come out of your black
Come out of your black
Black and strong and black-black and strong and
Black
Strong
Black
Jesus, it's cold in this room, it's really cold
You know I never, I never told you about this, but there's one guy
Somebody I really love, he's never around
Well, he was taking things that could be alright, that could be nice
And make him so ugly, so damn ugly
And we put out the lights on them
Yeah, we'd make it dark, we put out the lights, on them
It's idiots like you that screw me up
I know there's nothing to you
And I don't know why I treat you so kind
Come down and dance with me, dance with me
You got nobody left but me
Accept me, don't reject me, don't forget me
Momma, what color will the lights be, will they turn blue on me?
Momma, what color will the lights be?
Will they turn blue on me?
Momma
I shot myself up
Whoa momma, I shot myself up
Momma, I shot myself up, up, up, up, up
Momma
I shot myself up, down, up, down, momma
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, momma
I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't mean to, but I did it
Momma, I shot myself
In the song Turn Blue, Iggy Pop tells the story of a man looking out of his window at a black El Dorado driving by. He spots a beautiful black girl in the back and longs to be close to her. He expresses how far away he feels from her and is at a loss for words. He then references shooting himself down and laments about how someone he loves is never around for him. He pleads for acceptance and is frustrated with those who step on hearts.
The song has been interpreted as a commentary on race relations and the objectification of black women. Iggy Pop's crude language and objectification of black women in the lyrics stand in contrast to the societal melody of the time that preached equality and tolerance. Through his lyrics, he brings attention to the dangerous intersection of racism and sexism.
Line by Line Meaning
See a black El Dorado
I see a black car, an El Dorado model
Oh, rolling along down below my window
The car is rolling along on the street below my window
That black girl in the back looks pretty good
There is a good-looking black girl sitting in the back of the car
Christ, she's beautiful
She is very beautiful
You know how soft she is
She appears to be soft, in a desirable way
Just what you feel like
She is exactly the type of person that you would want to be with right now
Oh, and I'm so far away from her
I am physically far away from her and cannot be with her
Jesus, this is Iggy
Iggy Pop is expressing his own disbelief or surprise at his own lyrics or thoughts
You
Referring to the listener or someone else he is talking to
You might as well come with me
It would be best if you came with me
When you ride the ride
When you experience life
There's talk and I don't wanna talk
There is meaningless chatter or discussion taking place that he doesn't want to participate in or doesn't care about
Oh momma, I shot myself down
I have done something wrong and caused myself harm or difficulties
They're stepping on our hearts (stepping on our hearts)
Someone or something is hurting our emotions or causing us pain
I don't know why they're stepping on our hearts (stepping on our hearts)
He doesn't understand the reason for the emotional pain or hurt that they are experiencing
Damn, I don't know why
He feels frustrated by not knowing the reason for the emotional pain
Can't you see?
Asking the listener to observe or pay attention to the emotional distress they are experiencing
How come the blacks, how come they, they copy you so good?
Asking why black people seem to imitate or emulate white people so well
They get off on you, so ooh, sexually
Black people seem to be sexually aroused or attracted to white people
If you wanna make it
If you want to be successful
Young man, you gotta make somebody come
You need to satisfy your sexual partner in order to be successful or accepted as a man
Come out of your black
Stop being associated with or defined by your blackness or race
Black and strong and black-black and strong and Black Strong Black
Repeating the concept of being strong and black, possibly as a form of empowerment
Jesus, it's cold in this room, it's really cold
He is expressing how cold he feels, either metaphorically or literally
You know I never, I never told you about this, but there's one guy
He has never shared this information before, but there is someone he cares about
Somebody I really love, he's never around
He loves someone who is never around, and it makes him sad or lonely
Well, he was taking things that could be alright, that could be nice
Someone he cares about was doing things that could have been good, if not for certain negative behaviors or issues
And make him so ugly, so damn ugly
Those negative behaviors or issues made the person unattractive or unappealing to him
And we put out the lights on them
They were no longer attractive or desirable to him, and the relationship or connection was ended
It's idiots like you that screw me up
People like the listener or someone else he is addressing cause him problems or difficulties
I know there's nothing to you
He doesn't see anything valuable or worthwhile in the person he is addressing
And I don't know why I treat you so kind
Despite not valuing or seeing worth in the person he is addressing, he still treats them well or kindly
Come down and dance with me, dance with me
He is inviting the listener to dance or spend time with him
You got nobody left but me
The listener has no one else to turn to for companionship or support besides him
Accept me, don't reject me, don't forget me
He is asking the listener to accept him and not forget about him
Momma, what color will the lights be, will they turn blue on me?
He is wondering what will happen to him next, and if he will face more difficulties or challenges
Momma, I shot myself up
He has injected drugs into himself, possibly heroin
Whoa momma, I shot myself up
He is expressing the effects or sensations of injecting the drugs
Momma, I shot myself up, up, up, up, up
Repeating the idea of injecting the drugs and the sensations he is experiencing
Momma I shot myself up, down, up, down, momma
More repetition of the idea of injecting drugs and experiencing the effects, as well as addressing his mother
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, momma
Expressing his emotions or pain to his mother
I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't mean to, but I did it
He expresses regret or confusion about injecting the drugs, and possibly didn't intend to or didn't realize the consequences
Momma, I shot myself
Re-stating that he has injected drugs and is experiencing the effects or consequences
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Walter Lacey, Warren Peace
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.