Top 10 Iggy Pop Songs

Photo: By Eddy BERTHIER from Brussels, Belgium [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

It’s impossible to separate Iggy Pop from the band The Stooges because, no matter how you look at it, without Iggy Pop, there would not have been a band called The Stooges. Nevertheless, we have already published a list of the top 10 Stooges songs. This list will look at the top 10 Iggy Pop Songs released outside of the band, the Stooges. All of the songs Iggy Pop wrote for The Stooges will not be presented on this list. Iggy Pop released many solo albums that stand on their own throughout his career. This list of the top 10 Iggy Pop songs will present 10 of the best songs released on the legendary artist’s solo records. Of course, if we limit it to just 10 songs, we’ll miss so many. We apologize for that. One of the reasons we write these lists is for the younger generation, who are not too familiar with many classic rock artists’ songs.

Iggy Pop released three albums with The Stooges from 1969 to 1973. Those three albums, The Stooges, Fun House, and Raw Power, were groundbreaking in classic rock history. They are regarded as three of the most essential albums in rock and roll.

In 1977, Iggy Pop released his first solo album entitled The Idiot. Iggy Pop quickly followed up the album The Idiot in the same year with the release of his first gold record entitled Lust For Life. After Lust For Life, Iggy Pop continued to release albums steadily. Iggy Pop never had a number-one single, but his records sold well, and his fan base grew steadily.

Iggy Pop is regarded as one of the most influential rock artists in the history of classic rock. His friendship with David Bowie and experience touring with the legendary artist resulted in a handful of songs co-written by both musicians. Iggy Pop has left behind a legacy of music between his work as a solo artist and with his original three albums with the Stooges

# 10 – The Passenger

We open our list of top 10 Iggy Pop songs with the excellent sing-along song “The Passenger.” In 1977, “The Passenger” was initially released as the B-side to the single. What songs were released on Iggy Pop’s Lust For Life album? Iggy Pop has said in passing to interviews that “The Passenger” was inspired by a Jim Morrison poem. Furthermore, Iggy Pop has also been quoted as saying that his touring days with David Bowie also inspired the song “The Passenger.” The song was co-written by Iggy Pop and Ricky Gardner.

# 9 – Bang Bang

The great Iggy Pop song “Bang Bang” is the first of a couple of songs on this top 10 Iggy Pop songs list that David Bowie and Iggy Pop recorded on their own separate albums. However, unlike the other David Bowie and Iggy Pop songs the two artists co-wrote, “Bang Bang” was co-written by Iggy Pop and Ivan Kral. The song “Bang Bang” was released in 1981. The song appeared on Iggy Pop’s album Party. The song was later recorded by David Bowie in 1987. It appeared on David Bowie’s 1987 album entitled Never Let Me Down.

# 8 – Cold Metal

The excellent opening guitar riffs on this classic song hook you immediately. Iggy Pop’s “Cold Metal” was released in 1988. The song “Cold Metal” appeared on the album Instinct. The album was the follow-up to Iggy Pop’s commercially successful album Blah Blah Blah. “Cold Metal” was equally successful for Iggy Pop, as the song earned a 1989 Grammy Nomination for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance.

# 7 – Gardenia

The great Iggy Pop song “Gardenia” is the most recent song to make this list of 10 Iggy Pop songs. The song was released on the album Post Pop Depression. The record was released in 2016. “Gardenia” was the first single released from the album. This one hits you right away with its pulsating rhythmic opening. The guitar interweaves in and out with what sounds like lightning strikes. The bass is tripping as it wraps itself around Iggy’s deep and sensual vocals.

# 6 – Wild America

Continuing our list of top 10 Iggy Pop songs, we turn to the 1993 album American Caesar. The great song “Wild America” was released on American Caesar, appearing as the second track. The song featured backup vocals from ex-Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins. American Caesar was Iggy Pop’s tenth solo album.

# 5 – Cry For Love

The great Iggy Pop song “Cry For Love” was released in 1986 on the Blah Blah Blah album. The song was co-written by Iggy Pop and ex-Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. The song was released as the lead-off single from the 1986 album. Its dark, minor-key melody and chord changes were a welcome reprieve from the major-chord glam-hairband material dominating the airwaves in the mid-1980s.

# 4 – China Girl

Most classic rock fans associate this song with David Bowie. However, before David Bowie released the song “China Girl” on his wildly successful 1983 album Let’s Dance, Iggy Pop released it on his 1977 album The Idiot. The song “China Girl” was written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie. The Iggy Pop version featured David Bowie on keyboards and sax. The 1983 David Bowie version also featured Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitar.

# 3 – Candy

As we close in on the number one spot on our top 10 Iggy Pop songs list, we turn to 1990. It was a year when Iggy Pop released one of the most successful singles of his solo career. The great song “Candy” was released on the album Brick by Brick. The song was a duet with the fabulous Kate Pierson of the B-52’s. Watch the video below and the incredible chemistry between the two legendary singers.

# 2 – Lust For Life

“Lust For Life” is probably, with one exception, the most famous song Iggy Pop ever released as a solo artist. The song “Lust For Life” was written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie. “Lust For Life” was released in 1977 on the album Lust For Life. The song was re-released as a single in 1996.

# 1 – Real Wild Child (Wild One)

Closing out our list of top 10 Iggy Pop songs is the biggest hit of Iggy Pop’s solo career. The classic song “Real Wild Child” was released in 1986 on Iggy Pop’s solo album Blah Blah Blah. The song hit number 10 on the United Kingdom music charts and number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song “Real Wild Child” also became Iggy Pop’s only number-one hit of his career, reaching the top of the charts in New Zealand.