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After the breakup of the Stooges, which occurred in 1974, a dark period began for Iggy Pop, marked by depression and dismay. It was his friend David Bowie, who had experienced a similar period shortly before, who helped him out of this dark tunnel. The two, within a couple of years (the two-year period 76-77), working and collaborating together in Berlin, would give birth to four essential albums, two each: "Low" and "Heroes" for Bowie (which, along with the subsequent "Lodger," are part of the famous "Berlin Trilogy"), and "The Idiot" and "Lust for Life" by Iggy.
While Bowie experimented with cutting-edge music, suspended between the Central European electronic music of Kraftwerk, ambient music, and the then-emerging new wave, Iggy responded in an antithetical manner, with two albums brimming with wild rock'n'roll, which brought him very close to the punk bands that were then riding the wave. "Lust for Life" can be considered one of Iggy Pop's best works. Each of the nine songs that comprise it has become a classic. The musicians accompanying him, the Sales brothers, Hunt and Tony (drums and bass), Carlos Alomar and Ricky Gardiner on guitars, and David Bowie on piano and backing vocals, also contributed to the composition process, writing almost all the music, while Iggy took charge of the lyrics.
The work opens with the title track: on a damned punk drumbeat, the other instruments join in until Iggy's warm and powerful voice arrives, supported by Bowie's effeminate and crazy backing vocals. The lyrics describe a life of excess, with parties with groupies, sex, and plenty of drugs. It’s no coincidence that it was used to open "Trainspotting." The only song entirely written by Iggy is the following track, "Sixteen," a fast and abrasive piece with piercing guitar riffs. "Some Weird Sin" returns to the wild sounds of the title track, with exuberant guitars and handclaps in the background and another very autobiographical lyric. In the fourth position, we find one of Iggy Pop's most famous tracks, "The Passenger," a ballad in which the Iguana invites us to travel with him to see "the sign and hollow sky" and "the city's ripped backsides," on a night journey through the city. Another track that encourages fun is "Tonight," thanks to its carefree keyboards and the warm voice Iggy showcases on this occasion. Iggy becomes irreverent in "Success," where he ridicules the music business by staging a duet between himself and the rest of the band, naturally led by Bowie.
The lyrics of "Turn Blue" were censored (in fact, they do not appear in the booklet) because of the strong content of the text; musically, the track is a long ballad with alternating relaxing moments and sudden pauses, and in which Iggy transitions from a warm and sensual voice to a shrill falsetto. Another genuinely rock song is "Neighbourhood Threat," an intense piece that becomes increasingly fast and powerful, with bitter lyrics focused on marginalization and poverty. It closes with another ballad, "Fall in Love with Me," made bluesy by the organ played by Bowie, in which Iggy imagines an evening in the company of "A bottle of white wine/A cigarette and you."
An album with which one can still have fun and unleash, despite being 30 years old.
RATING = 8.5
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Lust for Life (05:13)
Here comes Johnny in again
With the liquor and drugs
And a flesh machine
He's gonna do another strip tease.
Hey man, where'd ya get that lotion?
I've been hurting since I'm up again
About something called love
Yeah, something called love.
Well, that's like hypnotizing chickens.
Well, I'm just a modern guy
Of course, I've had it in the ear before.
I have a lust for life
'Cause of a lust for life.
I'm worth a million in prizes
With my torture film
Drive a GTO
Wear a uniform
All on a government loan.
I'm worth a million in prizes
Yeah, I'm through with sleeping on the sidewalk
No more beating my brains
No more beating my brains
With liquor and drugs
With liquor and drugs.
Well, I'm just a modern guy
Of course, I've had it in my ear before
Well, I've a lust for life (lust for life)
'Cause of a lust for life (lust for life, oooo)
I got a lust for life (oooo)
Got a lust for life (oooo)
Oh, a lust for life (oooo)
Oh, a lust for life (oooo)
A lust for life (oooo)
I got a lust for life (oooo)
Got a lust for life.
Well, I'm just a modern guy
Of course, I've had it in my ear before
Well, I've a lust for life
'Cause I've a lust for life.
Here comes Johnny in again
With the liquor and drugs
And a flesh machine
I know he's gonna do another strip tease.
Hey man, where'd ya get that lotion?
Your skin starts itching once you buy the gimmick
about something called love
Love, love, love
Well, that's like hypnotizing chickens.
Well, I'm just a modern guy
Of course, I've had it in the ear before
And I've a lust for life (lust for life)
'Cause I've a lust for life (lust for life)
Got a lust for life
Yeah, a lust for life
I got a lust for life
A lust for life
Got a lust for life
Yeah a lust for life
I got a lust for life
Lust for life
Lust for life
Lust for life
Lust for life
Lust for life
02 Sixteen (02:26)
Sweet sixteen in leather boots
Body and soul I go crazy
Baby baby I'm hungry
Sweet sixteen
Funky bar all full of faces
Pretty faces beautiful faces
Body and soul
Body and soul
I give to you
I'm 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 - and they
Don't need me
Tell me what can I do -
Sweet sixteen
I give you 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
03 Some Weird Sin (03:42)
I never got my license to live
They won't give it up
So I stand at the world's edge
I'm trying to break in
Oh I know it's not for me
And the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill
That's when I want
Some weird sin
Things get too straight
I can't bear it
I feel stuck -
Stuck on a pin
I'm trying to break in
Oh I know it's not for me
And the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill
That's when I want
Some weird sin
That's when I want
Some weird sin
Just to relax with
Yeah, some dumb weird sin
For a while anyway
With my head on the ledge
That's what you get
Out on the edge
Some weird sin
Things get too straight
I can't bear it
I feel stuck -
Stuck on a pin
I'm trying to break in
Oh I know it's not for me
And the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill
That's when I want
Some weird sin
That's when I want
Some weird sin
Just to relax with
Yeah, some dumb weird sin
For a while anyway
With my head on the ledge
That's what you get
Out on the edge
Some weird sin
Some weird sin
Some weird sin
04 The Passenger (04:44)
I am the passenger and I ride and I ride
I ride through the city's backsides
I see the stars come out of the sky
Yeah the bright and hollow sky
You know it looks so good tonight
I am the passenger
I stay under glass
I look through my window so bright
I see the stars come out tonight
I see the bright and hollow sky
Over the city's ripped backsides
And everything looks good tonight
Let' sing;
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la
Get into the car, we'll be the passenger
We'll ride through the city tonight
We'll see the city's ripped backside
We'll see the bright and hollow sky
We'll see the stars that shine so bright
Stars made for us tonight
Oh the passenger
Oh how he rides
Oh the passenger
He rides and he rides
He looks through his window
What does he see
He sees the bright and hollow sky
He sees the stars come out tonight
He sees the city's ripped backsides
He sees the winding ocean drive
And everything was made for you and me
All of it was made for you and me
Cause it just belongs to you and me
So let's take a ride
And see what's mine
And sing;
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la
Oh the passenger
He rides and he rides
He sees things from under glass
He looks through his window side
He sees the things he knows are his
He sees the bright and hollow sky
He sees the city sleep at night
He sees the stars are out tonight
And all of it is yours and mine
And all of it is yours and mine
So let's ride and ride and ride and ride
Oh Sing;
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la
Oh Sing;
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la
05 Tonight (03:40)
I saw my baby
She was turning blue
I knew that soon her
young life was through
And so I got down on my
knees - down by her bed
And these are the words
To her I said -
Everything will be alright tonight
Everything will be alright tonight
No one moves
No one talks
No one thinks
No one walks
Tonight
Everyone will be alright tonight
Everyone will be alright tonight
No one moves
No one talks
No one thinks
No one walks
Tonight
Tonight
I am gonna love her
To the end
I am gonna love her
To the end
I will love her
'Till I die
I will see her
In the sky
Tonight
Tonight
Tonight
Tonight
Tonight
06 Success (04:25)
Here comes success
Here comes success
Over my hill
Over my hill
Here comes success
Here comes success
Here comes my car
Here comes my car
Here comes my Chinese rug
Here comes my Chinese rug
Here comes success
Here comes success
In the last ditch
In the last ditch
I'll think of you
I'll think of you
In the last ditch
In the last ditch
I will be true
I will be true
Sweetheart I'm telling you
Sweetheart I'm telling you
Here comes the zoo
Here comes the zoo
Here comes success
Here comes success
Horay success
Horay success
Here comes success
Horay success
Success
Success
I can't help myself
I can't help myself
I just got to got to got to
I just got to got to got to
I can't stand it
Here comes my face
Here comes my face
It's plain bizarre
It's plain bizarre
Here comes my face
Here comes my face
Out of the crowd
Out of the crowd
Sweetheart I'm telling you
Sweetheart I'm telling you
Here comes the zoo
Here comes the zoo
In the last ditch
In the last ditch
Here comes success
Here comes success
Here comes success
Here comes success
I'm gonna do the Twist
I'm gonna do the Twist
I'm moved, man, I'm wigged
Oh I'm moved and I'm wigged
I'm crazy - I'm gonna
I'm gonna go crazy
Let's blast off
Alright! Baby let's blast off
Baby let's blast off
Blast off on success
Blast off on success
Oh you slay me
Oh you slay me baby
Oh you slay me baby
I'm gonna do the Twist
I'm gonna do the Twist
I'm gonna hop like a frog
I'm gonna hop like a frog
08 Neighborhood Threat (03:25)
Down where your paint is cracking
Look down your backstairs buddy
Somebodies living there and
He don't really feel the weather
And he don't share your pleasures
No, he don't share your pleasures
Did you see his eyes?
Did you see his crazy eyes?
And you're so surprised he doesn't run to catch your ash
Everybody always wants to kiss your trash
And you can't help him, no one can
And now that he knows
There's nothing to get
Will you still place your bet
Against the Neighbourhood Threat?
Somewhere a baby's feeding
Somewhere a mother's needing
Outside her boy is trying
But mostly he is crying
Did you see his eyes?
Did you see his crazy eyes?
And you're so surprised he doesn't run to catch your ash
Everybody always wants to kiss your trash
But you can't help him, no one can
And now that he knows
There's nothing to get
Not in this place
Not in your face
Will you still place your bet
Against the Neighbourhood Threat? [Repeat]
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