
The Stooges were the band who understood what made rock music sound dangerous. They returned it to its most basic, blues-based ingredients. And, in singer Iggy Pop, they had a magnetic performer willing to put himself at any risk in order to get a reaction from the crowd.
Once the brief but influential adventure of The Stooges was over, Iggy Pop was forced to find his own way. Brave and nearly always willing to take a risk, he forged a solo career that is just as powerful.
Today, I am looking at the greatest songs produced by one of the greatest bands of all time, The Stooges, and their magnetic leader, Iggy Pop.
Greatest 10 Songs by Iggy Pop and The Stooges

“Turn Blue”
Iggy Pop has always hidden little. The nearly always topless singer’s lyrics are a map into a life lived on the edge. It could’ve all ended badly a few times. “Turn Blue” is a song about one such encounter.
It’s one of the more unusual songs in the singer’s repertoire. The song includes David Bowie‘s tender backing vocals and a prayer from Iggy to God. The prayers must’ve been received. Iggy survived and thrived.
“T.V. Eye”
The Stooges did paranoid-rock better than anyone else. And, unlike the art-rock bands against who they were competing, the band had little in the way of subtlety.
“T.V. Eye” is still a gigantic sound delivered through Ron Asheton’s guitar amp and containing Iggy’s lyrics about constant surveillance. A more modern song couldn’t have been written in 1970.
“Nightclubbing”
Famously, Iggy Pop and David Bowie chose Berlin as the place where they would rid themselves of demons. What they found instead was a city on the brink and managed by the power of sheer depravity.
“Nightclubbing” is a song about going out dancing. But it’s often replicated synth beat, and Pop’s recollection of the seedy side of German life makes this sound both sinister and sexy.

“Gimme Danger”
The Stooges were, shockingly, not very successful. Not in their original run, at least. I know. I think of this as a crime as much as anyone else.
But The Stooges, even on their final album “Raw Power,” knew how to construct a myth. “Gimme Danger” is Iggy channelling Jim Morrison and hurtling himself into a world of excitement and risk. James Williamson’s great guitar arpeggios, followed by slabs of power chords, perfectly capture the theme of the song.
“China Girl”
In David Bowie, Iggy had an unlikely but highly sympathetic collaborator. More than anyone, Bowie understood that the former Stooge was actually a highly intelligent artist who happened to be obsessed with nihilism.
“China Girl” was inspired by the East and West Berlin divide and by imperialism. Later, the song became a global hit when polished and performed by Bowie. That offered Iggy his first real hit and paycheck and kept him going.
“No Fun”
Rock n’ roll was exciting. But it was also a contrast against all the other things which weren’t. “No Fun” is a great indicator of what The Stooges could do early on.
Ron Asheton plays a simple yet highly charged riff. The band plays a country rock stomp. And Iggy Pop moans about hating to be alone. Few bands sounded as mean or ill-suited for meet and greets.

“Search and Destroy”
There aren’t many songs as combustive-sounding as “Search and Destroy.” Believe me, I have tried to find them. One of Kurt Cobain‘s favourites, “Search and Destroy”, sounds like a piece of music that’s about to catch fire and torch everything in its near vicinity.
Inspired by Vietnam-era military slang and featuring Williamson’s nastiest guitar playing, “Search and Destroy” is unlikely to be equalled. It’s no wonder they call The Stooges proto-punk and bestow Iggy with the moniker of Grandfather of Punk.
“Lust for Life”
David Bowie had many great ideas. Some of them were ones he simply wanted to try on other artists. The “Lust for Life” riff was written in Berlin while watching television and was inspired by a movie about Vincent van Gogh.
Now, when Iggy got a hold of it, he transformed it into a stomper of a song. Lyrics became about his past misadventures and included promises to be good in the future.
But that beat … It still tramples on everything in its wake.
“I Wanna Be Your Dog”
The Stooges’ brand of minimalism was never more powerful or sinister-sounding than on “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” Most impressively, it all seemed to come effortlessly.
Asheton’s riff is still heavily featured in the media. It sounds like the industrialized city of Detroit screaming through one guitar amp. Meanwhile, Iggy delivers faux-BDSM-inspired lyrics with the intensity of a man who might not be let near a microphone ever again.

“The Passenger”
Iggy Pop didn’t just admire Jim Morrison for his wild lifestyle. He admired him for his poetry as well. “The Passenger” was inspired by a poem written by The Doors’ frontman.
But Iggy more than lived up to his mentor’s work. And, most importantly, he outlived him.
“The Passenger” is a hypnotic-sounding piece of music about the modern traveller who is always on the run and always seeking a new thrill. You have probably heard it many times before, as I have. It is, however, one of the songs that refuses to age badly.