Iggy Pop Songs Ranked

James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), better known as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor. Designated the “Godfather of Punk”,  he was the vocalist and lyricist of influential proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1967 and have disbanded and reunited multiple times since.
Although Pop has had limited commercial success, he has remained both a cultural icon and a significant influence on a wide range of musicians in numerous genres. The Stooges album Raw Power has proved an influence on artists such as Sex Pistols, the Smiths,  the Sisters of Mercy, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Nirvana.  His solo album The Idiot has been cited as a major influence on a number of post-punk, electronic, and industrial artists including Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, and Joy Division, and was described by Siouxsie Sioux as a “re-affirmation that our suspicions were true: the man is a genius.” He was inducted as part of the Stooges into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. In January 2020, Pop received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Here are all of Iggy Pop’s songs ranked.

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15. Search and Destroy (Raw Power, 1973)

“To my ears, this is the best punk/hard rock/metal song ever produced – loud, aggressive, angry, desperate, negative, powerful, and completely in your face. This song is unquestionably a triumph for a band whose first album I dismissed as amateurish drivel – boy, was I wrong then, but I’m not wrong now.”

14. I Wanna Be Your Dog (The Stooges, 1969)

“In this punk classic, Iggy Pop sings about how he wants to be used sexually by a woman. Songs like this helped establish Iggy as a punk icon known for unpredictable and outrageous behavior”

13. Don’t Look Down (New Values, 1979)

“Don’t look down” is an advice you hear when you’re high in the sky intended to keep you from falling. In this case, Pop uses it as an analog for his wild life: he doesn’t want to stop to think about what’s going on, he just wants to keep going. This credo led to plenty of stints in rehab, but also a long and colorful career where he never looked down.”

12. China Girl (Let’s Dance, 1983)

“You probably know the Bowie version, which is slick, sexy and stupid. This is none of those things. In its original incarnation, China Girl is diseased, pathetic and ugly, American imperialism recast as both a doomed, desperate romance and an addiction hitting its terminal stages. The song’s structure is pure operatic tragedy: a cautiously optimistic vacillation between major and minor chords in the first minute, half a minute where things take a darker turn, and then a seemingly never-ending vamp that slowly and methodically extinguishes all hope.”

See more: Iggy Pop Albums Ranked

11. Down on the Street (Fun House, 1970)

“Another mean junkyard scrap metal classic from Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Stooges. Hard guitars, Iggy’s grunts, pounding drums. Early punk. Grit. Grease. Beer. Music for working on your car, punching a brick wall, or smashing a tv set.”

10. Cry for Love (Blah-Blah-Blah, 1986)

“I had never heard this song until I was sampling the anthology a few months ago. Even with just 30 seconds playing, I could tell this was one awesome song. I finally decided to buy it and wow….it’s really, really good. The music is great….love the beat and rhythm throughout. The lyrics and Iggy’s voice are terrific….. some other reviewer mentioned it was haunting…I agree. Definitely one of my favorite Iggy songs.”

9. Real Wild Child (Blah-Blah-Blah, 1986)

“Covering a well-loved tune by one of Australia’s rock ‘n’ roll pioneers, Johnny O’Keefe, this song was always going to be a popular release Down Under. In many ways, this is a far superior version compared to the original. The extended version, with its backward vocals, ended up as the theme to late-night television music show “Rage” for many, many years to follow.”

8. No Fun (The Stooges, 1969)

“I have always liked Iggy Pop and this is one real good song he ever put out with some other ones he wrote. I love his vocal style in this track.”

7. Black Sunshine (La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1, 1992)

“White Zombie with Iggy Pop, what’s not to love? One of the best driving songs of all time. Radar detector suggested”

6. I’m Bored (New Values, 1979)

“Astounding mission statement from a man still ahead of the game as punk started to mutate. When I first saw the video for “I’m Bored” in the late ’80s, being so used to nice smiley pop stars, I could hardly recover from Iggy’s deep stare as he stalked the camera. How could someone be so confrontational and yet be warm and welcoming at the same time? That experience probably set me off on a journey to discover the underworld.”

5. Kill City (Kill City, 1977)

“1975’s ‘Kill City’ album on a whole is a bit of a tough listen with the saxaphone-hangover feel of the album. But the UK Radar label took the two best rocking tracks (“Kill City” and “I Got Nothin”) and released them as a single.”

See more: The Psychedelic Furs Albums Ranked

4. Cold Metal (Instinct, 1988)

“Iggy trying to keep his head coldly focused on Metal, and fighting for the survival of his primordial instincts, but even the empathy and the dynamic boost that the rebellious twin-soul of the Pistols’ Steve Jones who co-wrote “Cold Metal” could have eventually furnished, yielded unglamorous results, on this pair of numbers taken from and eventually representative of the overall mood of his late 80s effort Instinct (don’t look at the cover art or you’ll feel completely discouraged to even give it a try”

3. Nightclubbing (The Idiot, 1977)

“Iggy’s vocals are really good, especially on the second half, when they’re much more nasal… Is it Mick Ronson who played that stoned guitar part ? And what a perfect beat ! I particularly love the line : ‘Night clubbing we’re night clubbing / We’re an ice machine'”

2. Lust for Life (Lust for Life, 1977)

“That rhythm is simply phenomenal, and yes many people recognize it due to Jet’s rip-offs version. This song however is great, with one of the most dance rock song I have heard so far. The percussion alone makes the song, but the hook is pretty sweet as well.”

1. The Passenger (Lust for Life, 1977)

“A true classic – it’s got it all: freakin’ catchy tune, sarcastic lyrics (that big city aura of excess at your fingertips – all of it was made for you and me, indeed), the unmistakable vocals and lalalas for good measure.