The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I'll tell you about punk rock: punk rock is a word used by dillitante's and ah... and ah... heartless manipulators about music that takes up the energies and the bodies and the hearts and the souls and the time and the minds of young men who give what they have to it and give everything they have to it and it's a... it's a term that's based on contempt, it's a term that's based on fashion, style, elitism, satanism and everything that's rotten about rock'n'roll. I don't know Johnny Rotten but I'm sure... I'm sure he puts as much blood and sweat into what he does as Sigmund Freud did. You see, what sounds to you like a big load of trashy old noise is in fact the brilliant music of a genius, myself . And that music is so powerful that it's quite beyond my control and ah... when I'm in the grips of it I don't feel pleasure and I don't feel pain, either physically or emotionally. Do you understand what I'm talking about? Have you ever felt like that? When you just couldn't feel anything and you didn't want to either. You know? Like that? Do you understand what I'm saying sir?
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I understand.
Middle Eastern, Bosco9? More like Canada. : )
I listen to this song every night. Well. The whole album, really. But that's because this song puts me in a state that's hard to describe. Iggy Pop's ramble in that interview is probably one of the most influential speeches I have ever heard. It put to words exactly what I mean to say every time someone speaks to me about the music I love. I don't listen to a lot of punk rock anymore. I did before. But strip away the genre name and apply it elsewhere and I still feel the same way. This album - this song is what really got me into Mogwai.
I know exactly what you mean when you say that it puts you in a certain "state". There are a few songs I have that make me feel that way. Perhaps we don't feel the exact same way, but I have the same reaction. It's impossible to explain without hours of reflection.
this song is a sample from a strange iggy pop interview that the band found. from what i've read them say about it, iggy was looking totally fried and out of it (which is believeable), and when the middle eastern interviewer asked him about punk rock, he spouted off this insightful, eloquent speech about it. i think it says it all.
The interviewer was Canadian Peter Gzowski with CBC News.<br /> archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/music/topics/102/<br /> <br />
watch the original interview here:
archives.cbc.ca/400d.asp
AWESOME :o
What is there to really say about this? I think Iggy Pop covered everything. It makes the hairs on the back of neck stand up every fucking time I listen to it, which is to say yes, I think I understand what you're saying perfectly well Iggy. I think I do....