"Lust for Life" is a 1977 song performed by Iggy Pop and co-written by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, featured on the album of the same name. In 2004, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' ranked it No. 149 on their list of "

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

", re-ranking it No. 325 in their 2021 updated list.

Composition and performance

Co-written by Iggy Pop and

(written on a

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

), the song is known for its opening drumbeat (played by

Hunt Sales Hunt Sales (born March 2, 1954) is an American rock drummer, who has played with Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop and Tin Machine with David Bowie. He has often worked with his brother Tony Sales, a bass guitarist. Personal life Hunt Sales is a son o ...

). The rhythm was based on the

Armed Forces Network The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which in ...

call signal, which Pop and Bowie picked up on while waiting for a broadcast of '' Starsky & Hutch''. The drumbeat has since been imitated in numerous songs, including "

Are You Gonna Be My Girl "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" is a song by Australian rock band Jet from their 2003 debut album, ''Get Born''. It was released as the first single from the album on 18 August 2003 in the United States and on 1 September 2003 in Australia. The son ...

" by Jet and " Selfish Jean" by Travis; however, Sales's use of the rhythm was not original, as it was itself derived from "

You Can't Hurry Love "You Can't Hurry Love" is a 1966 song originally recorded by the Supremes on the Motown label. It was released on July 25 of 1966 as the second single from their studio album '' The Supremes A' Go-Go'' (1966). Written and produced by Motown p ...

", released in July 1966 by

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

, and "

I'm Ready for Love "I'm Ready for Love" is a 1966 single by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. The song, produced and written by Holland–Dozier–Holland, and was written in a similar style to The Supremes' smash hit, "You Can't Hurry Love". Backgroun ...

", released in October 1966 by Martha and the Vandellas. In 1977, the song reached No. 3 in the Dutch Top 40 as well as in Yugoslavia. Its success was credited to a performance in the Dutch pop TV show ''

TopPop ''TopPop'' is the first regular dedicated pop music television series in the Dutch language area. The Netherlands broadcaster AVRO aired the programme weekly, from 22 September 1970, to 27 June 1988. Presenter Ad Visser hosted for its first fif ...

'', where Iggy Pop, shirtless, wrecked part of the stage set (which consisted of a couple of potted plants and some cardboard scenery). Although many viewers and newspapers complained about the apparent damage, the director of ''TopPop'' later admitted that they knew beforehand what Iggy was going to do and that the damage was minimal.

Lyrics

The song's lyrics contain a number of references to

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...

' experimental novel '' The Ticket That Exploded'', most notably mentions of "Johnny Yen" (described by Burroughs as "The Boy-Girl Other Half strip tease God of sexual frustration") and "hypnotizing chickens". In a 1995 interview,

Doors A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security by ...

keyboardist Ray Manzarek and manager

Danny Sugerman Daniel Stephen Sugerman (October 11, 1954 – January 5, 2005) was the second manager of the Los Angeles-based rock band the Doors. He wrote several books about Jim Morrison and the Doors, including ''No One Here Gets Out Alive'' (co-authored with ...

stated that the opening lyrics were about their deceased heroin dealer, nicknamed "Gypsy Johnny", arriving at Wonderland Avenue, with his heroin and his "motorized dildos".

Track listing

1996 UK single

# "Lust for Life" – 5:11 # "(Get Up I Feel Like A) Sex Machine" – 4:05 # "Lust for Life (Live at the Feile Festival, 1993)" – 5:35 # "I Wanna Be Your Dog (Live at the Rock for Choice Benefit concert)" – 4:55

Personnel

According to biographer Chris O'Leary: * Iggy Pop – lead vocals *

– piano * Ricky Gardiner – lead guitar *

Tony Sales Tony Fox Sales (born September 26, 1951) is an American rock musician and composer. Normally on bass guitar, Sales and his brother, Hunt Sales, have worked with Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop, and in Tin Machine with David Bowie. Early life and career ...

– bass, backing vocals *

Carlos Alomar Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Rican guitarist. He is best known for his work with David Bowie from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, having played on more Bowie albums than any musician other than pianist Mike Garson. He has als ...

– rhythm guitar *

– drums,

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

, shaker, backing vocals

Trainspotting

"Lust for Life" gained renewed popularity in the late 1990s after being featured in the 1996 British film '' Trainspotting''. The song was heavily featured in the film's marketing campaign and subsequent soundtrack album, resulting in a new UK chart peak of number 26 after being reissued as a single. The single's success inspired Pop's then-label

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...

to issue a greatest hits

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

titled '' Nude & Rude''. Pop's biographer Joe Ambrose writes that the song gained the same level of resurgence as

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

' "

The End The End may refer to: Films * ''The End'' (1953 film), a film by Christopher Maclaine * ''The End'' (1978 film), a comedy by Burt Reynolds * ''The End'' (1997 film), a Canadian film of 1997 * ''The End'' (1998 film), a skateboarding document ...

" after that song's inclusion in Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film ''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph ...

''. In 1999, Pop reflected on the song's renewed popularity: A remix by The Prodigy was featured in ''Trainspottings 2017 sequel, ''

T2 Trainspotting ''T2 Trainspotting'' is a 2017 British black comedy-drama film, directed by Danny Boyle and written by John Hodge. Set in and around Edinburgh, Scotland, it is based on characters created by Irvine Welsh in his 1993 novel '' Trainspotting'' and ...

''.

Legacy

After ''Trainspotting'', the song was used in a series of commercials for the Royal Caribbean cruise line. When media critic Seth Stevenson conducted a poll on '' Slate'' in 2005 for the most incongruous advertising song, "Lust For Life" was the clear winner. Reader responses included “Nothing says maritime comfort like a song about shooting up junk"; and “I don’t know what, exactly, Iggy means when he says that he’s ’done it in the ear before,’ but I’m sure Royal Caribbean won’t allow it on their cruise ships.”

Kay Hanley Kay Hanley is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known as the vocalist for the alternative rock band Letters to Cleo. Life and career Hanley grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts across the street from the Wahlberg family. She atte ...

covered the song for the soundtrack of the 1995 movie '' Just Like Heaven''.

References

Sources

* * * * * {{authority control 1977 songs Iggy Pop songs Tom Jones (singer) songs Songs written by Iggy Pop Songs written by David Bowie Song recordings produced by David Bowie