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".
Well Did You Evah!
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Have you heard among this clan
I am called the forgotten man ?
Well did you evah?
What a swell party this is!
Have you heard the story of
Dexter boy being gypped by love?
What a swell party this is
What frails, what frocks
What furs, what rocks
What gaiety!
It's all too exquis
That french champagne
So good for the brain
That band, it's the end!
Kindly don't fall down, my friend.
Have you heard? professor munch
Ate his wife and divorced his lunch.
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!
Have you heard? the countess krupp
Crossed the bridge when the bridge was up
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!
Have you heard that mimsie starr
Just got pinched in the astor bar?
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!
Have you heard that uncle newt
Forgot to open his parachute?
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this
It 's great, it's grand
It 's wonderland
What soup, what fish
That beef what a dish
That grouse, so rare
That old camembert!
That baba au rhum!
Will you please move over, chum?
Have you heard the poor dear blanche
Got run down by an avalanche?
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!
Have you heard? it's in the stars
Next July we collide with mars.
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!
The lyrics of "Well Did You Evah!" by Iggy Pop are a tongue-in-cheek depiction of a lavish party where the attendees gossip about the scandalous events that have occurred in their social circles. The song is a cover of a Cole Porter classic from the 1939 musical "Du Barry Was a Lady," and retains its witty and humorous tone. The opening lines, "Have you heard among this clan/I am called the forgotten man?" introduce a character who feels overlooked and disrespected by those around him.
The next several verses each introduce absurd and comical stories about the guests, including a man who ate his wife and divorced his lunch, a countess who crossed a bridge when it was up, and poor Blanche who was run down by an avalanche. Despite the outrageousness of these tales, they are all delivered with a sense of dry detachment, as if the teller has heard too many stories like these to be truly shocked.
Throughout the song, the refrain "What a swell party this is!" repeats, creating a sharp contrast between the fantastical gossip being shared and the polite, superficial pleasantries exchanged by the attendees. To add to the absurdity, the guests comment on the quality of the food and drink they are consuming, further emphasizing the triviality of their concerns.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you heard among this clan
I am called the forgotten man ?
Have you heard that I am marginalized among this group and forgotten about?
Well did you evah?
What a swell party this is!
What a magnificent party this is!
Have you heard the story of
Dexter boy being gypped by love?
Have you heard about Dexter and how love deceived him?
What frails, what frocks
What furs, what rocks
What gaiety!
What elegant dresses and fur coats! What fun is this!
It's all too exquis
That french champagne
So good for the brain
That band, it's the end!
Everything here is perfect, the champagne is delicious and the band is ending the party.
Kindly don't fall down, my friend.
Please be careful not to fall, my friend.
Have you heard? professor munch
Ate his wife and divorced his lunch.
Have you heard about Professor Munch who ate his wife and divorced his lunch?
Have you heard? the countess krupp
Crossed the bridge when the bridge was up
Have you heard about Countess Krupp who crossed a bridge when it was raised?
Have you heard that mimsie starr
Just got pinched in the astor bar?
Did you hear that Mimsie Starr was caught by the police at the Astor Bar?
Have you heard that uncle newt
Forgot to open his parachute?
Have you heard that Uncle Newt forgot to open his parachute?
It 's great, it's grand
It 's wonderland
What soup, what fish
That beef what a dish
That grouse, so rare
That old camembert!
That baba au rhum!
This party is fantastic! The soup and fish are great, the beef is a sublime dish, the grouse is very rare, the old camembert is delicious, and the baba au rhum is a great dessert!
Will you please move over, chum?
Excuse me, can you please move over, friend?
Have you heard the poor dear blanche
Got run down by an avalanche?
Have you heard about poor Blanche who was hit by an avalanche?
Have you heard? it's in the stars
Next July we collide with mars.
Did you hear that it's written in the stars that we will collide with Mars next July?
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Creepy Clips
These two are perfect together, great chemistry, pedigree and their voices compliment each other. Too bad they didn't extend this into a full album of duets!
Amuesli
I looked this up because I hadn’t heard it for years and it was stuck in my head. Never seen the film clip before. It’s perfect. The disaffected and disinterested vocals are perfect. How can this possibly be getting heat in the comments for being bad? You’re not getting it.
S Miller
Sometimes this song will randomly pop into my head. So weird.
Christene Brinkman
Beautiful. My mom started singing along to the original. ❤️
Alternative Visuals
From the depths of my brain this echoed. Not heard this in years and I want to get it on vinyl :)
Primitive In The Extreme
Great song, great video, great collaboration.
luge53boy
This CD ("Red, Hot, and Blue) was released in 1990, a fund raiser for AIDS research. At least 10 other Cole Porter songs by 10 other rock artists using their star power to raise money. Appreciate their efforts to save lives even if it isn't the greatest performances.
Patrick Couture
Neneh cherry version was really good. Under my skin
André Guilherme Portocarrero
I watched at the time
luigi fresi
This video Is Great! I used to have the cassette , the artists that took Place in this compilation are terrific: Neneh Cherry, KD Lang, Sinéad O Connor, Iggy Pop&Debbie Harry, Fine Young Cannibals...