100 Songs of Summer #74 "The Passenger" by Iggy Pop
The spirit of punk rock takes hold of our Hamptons 100 Songs of Summer Countdown as we pass the first quarter. This track from the year of the genre’s birth should be on everyone’s playlist, in every season.
Hamptons 100 Songs of Summer #74
“The Passenger” by Iggy Pop
One of the most enduring songs in Iggy Pop’s catalogue, “The Passenger” was recorded and released on the rocker’s seminal 1977 album Lust For Life. It was also the B-side for the record’s only single, “Success.” The tune saw widespread airplay three decades later during Iggy and the Stooges US tour in the summer of 2007.
With David Bowie’s production and backing vocals, and Pop’s baritone croon, “The Passenger” comes together as an unforgettable classic about a punk rock outsider moving through life and his city beneath the night sky. Add the fact that it’s supposedly based on a Jim Morrison poem, and the song becomes a celebration of the outlaw lifestyle—something we can all get behind in the warmest months.
He sees the sided hollow sky
He see the stars come out tonight
He sees the city’s ripped backsides
He sees the winding ocean drive