We are back for the Thanksgiving portion in our series of exclusive excerpts from the book "Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song." Check back each day this week to read a new excerpt from a music superstar. "Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song" will give you an inside look into the story behind the songs you love. It's a neat book, you should check it out. Buy plenty of copies - they make good gifts and gobble gobble Happy Thanksgiving!
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And now.....today's Woodstock.com exclusive excerpt from "Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song."
Iggy Pop
"Lust For Life" Written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie Recorded by Iggy Pop I was living in Berlin in the ’70s. David Bowie came over to see me and stayed. The wall was still up; Berlin was an occupied zone. Every Thursday David picked up his son’s ukelele one day and knocked out the chord progression for this song and suggested the title. Lust For Life was my mom’s favorite book. It is a biographical novel about Vincent Van Gogh, written by Irving Stone, that was turned into a movie. It was a metaphor for my career at that point. I wasn’t enjoying success yet, much like Van Gogh who never saw any of the money or fame that his work did after he died. Certain lyrics in the song, like "Johnny Yen" and "hypnotizing chickens," refer to Williams S. Burroughs’ novel The Ticket That Explode "Lust For Life" Here comes Johnny Yen again With the liquor and drugs And the flesh machine. He’s gonna do another striptease. Hey man, where’d ya get that lotion? I’ve been hurting since I bought the gimmick About something called love. Yeah, something called love That’s like hypnotizing chickens. Well, I am just a modern guy. Of course, I’ve had it in the ear before ’Cause of a lust for life ’Cause of a lust for life. I’m worth a million in prizes With my torture film, Drive a G.T.O., 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 With the liquor and drugs With the liquor and drugs. Well, I am just a modern guy. Of course, I’ve had it in the ear before ’Cause of a lust for life, ’Cause of a lust for life. I got a lust for life, Got a lust for life Oh, a lust for life Oh, a lust for life A lust for life. I got a lust for life I got a lust for life. Well, I am just a modern guy. Of course I’ve had it in the ear before ’Cause of a lust for life ’Cause of a lust for life Lust for life. Here comes Johnny Yen again With the liquor and drugs And the flesh machine. He’s gonna do another striptease. Hey man, where’d ya get that lotion? Your skin starts itching once you buy the gimmick About something called love. Oh love, love, love, That’s like hypnotizing chickens. Well, I am just a modern guy. Of course, I’ve had it in the ear before ’Cause of a lust for life ’Cause of a lust for life. Got a lust for life, Yeah, a lust for life. I got a lust for life Oh, a lust for life. I got a lust for life, Yeah a lust for life I got a lust for life. A lust for life, Lust for life, Lust for life. Written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie
night, the Armed Forces played Starsky and Hutch and we could pick it up on rabbit ears. Armed Forces TV had an audio signal like the Morse Code.
© 1977 (Renewed) BUG MUSIC (BMI), EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING LTD. and TINTORETTO MUSIC. All Rights for EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING LTD. in the U.S. and Canada Controlled and Administered by SCREEN GEMS-EMI MUSIC INC. All Rights for TINTORETTO MUSIC Administered by RZO MUSIC. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.
The funny thing was that the music was very bouncy and up. The band’s track had a great feel. We recorded it in a studio over there and we all hit it out of the park in one night. It was released in Holland in 1977 and became a #1 single. Then it sat on the shelf for awhile. It bubbled under the radar for about 20 years until the youth movie Trainspotting played the song loud in its entirety to open the movie. I was back in America then. The record became a multi-platinum soundtrack and it was a hit video here for me. It changed my life. "Lust For Life" was in other films as well, including Desperately Seeking Susan, but they weren’t as good for the song.
The most interesting thing about it is that as time goes on, the public will make of something what they want to. It’s a happy song. People don’t care about the irony in the verses. Whole families come up and thank me.
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