Lust for Life Lyrics
Here comes Johnny Yen again
With the liquor and drugs and the flesh machine
He's gonna do another striptease
Hey man, where'd you get that lotion?
I been hurting since I bought the gimmick
About something called love
Yeah, something called love
Well, that's like hypnotizing chickens
[Chorus]
Well, I'm just a modern guy
Of course I've had it in the ear before
'Cause I've a lust for life
'Cause I've a lust for life
[Verse 2]
I'm worth a million in prizes
With my torture film, drive a GTO
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
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 I've a lust for life (lust for life)
'Cause I've 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
Well I've a lust for life
'Cause I've a lust for life
[Verse 3]
Well, here comes Johnny Yen again
With the liquor and drugs, and the flesh machine
I know he's gonna do another striptease
Hey man, where'd you get that lotion?
Your skin starts itching once you buy the gimmick
About something called love
Oh, love, love, love
Well, that's like hypnotizing chickens
Well, I am just a modern guy
Of course I've had it in the ear before
And I've a lust for life
(Lust for life)
'Cause I've a lust for life
(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
A lust for life
(Lust for life)
(Lust for life)
About
Musically, “Lust For Life” is deceptively catchy and upbeat for a song about a life ravaged by drug addiction. This has led to the song being used as the laughably incongruous soundtrack of advertisements for clients like Royal Carribean Cruises and Metrobank.
The song was co-written in 1977 by Iggy Pop and David Bowie, with Bowie providing the music (written on a ukulele), and Pop the lyrics.
Bowie and Pop performing together circa 1977
The song is immediately recognizable by its opening drumbeat (played by Hunt Sales), which has since been imitated in numerous songs, including “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet and “Selfish Jean” by Travis. However, Sales' beat was itself derived from “You Can’t Hurry Love”, released in July 1966 by The Supremes,[1] and “I’m Ready For Love”, released in October 1966 by Martha and the Vandellas.
The title Lust for Life was first used for Irving Stone’s 1934 biographical novel about Vincent Van Gogh. It has also been used to name songs and albums by Lana Del Rey, Childish Gambino, Girls and Heavenly.
The 1977 song gained a new audience when it was used on the soundtrack of the 1996 film, Trainspotting. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #147 of their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
In 2013, Iggy Pop told Q Magazine,
Once a week the Armed Forces Network [in Berlin] would play Starsky & Hutch and that was our little ritual. AFN would broadcast an ID when they came on the air, a representation of a radio tower, and it made a signal sound, ‘beep beep beep beep beep ba beep.’ And we went, ‘Aha, we’ll take that!’ David [Bowie] grabbed his ukulele, worked out the chords, and away we went.
The title Lust for Life was first used for Irving Stone’s 1934 biographical novel about Vincent Van Gogh. In addition to Iggy Pop’s song and album, has also been used to name music by Lana Del Rey, Drake, Childish Gambino, Girls and Heavenly.