Song of the Day: Iggy Pop, "Nightclubbing"

This week I'm reading The Idiot, which inspired me to revisit the Iggy Pop album it inspired.



Iggy's The Idiot must've been a shock to Stooges fans. His first solo affair is a slow, bleak post-party soundtrack spawned by Berlin, sleep-deprivation, Dostoevsky and co-writer/producer David Bowie. The results are decadent and danceable, starring the original "China Girl," "Funtime" and best of all, "Nightclubbing."

There's isn't a lot to "Nightclubbing." The music barely changes at all, and there isn't even a chorus. But what's there--mainly that irrepressible kick drum sample Iggy's Dean Martin-on-ludes delivery harmonizing with his Osterberg-on-ludes self--make this one of Iggy's and Bowie's most memorable moments. The free-punk solo and keyboard loops predate the rise of industrial music. The Nuclear Bomb must still be a brand new dance.