I Wanna Be Your Dog
"I Wanna Be Your Dog" is a 1969 song by the American rock band The Stooges. The song is included on their self-titled debut album. Its memorable riff, composed of only three chords (G, F♯ and E), is played continuously throughout the song (excepting two brief 4-bar bridges). The 3-minute-and-9-second-long song, with its raucous, distortion-heavy guitar intro, pounding, single-note piano riff played by producer John Cale of The Velvet Underground, and steady, driving beat, established The Stooges at the cutting edge example of the heavy metal and punk sound.[4] The song notably uses sleigh bells throughout.[5]
"I Wanna Be Your Dog" | ||||
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![]() Cover of the 1969 Italian single | ||||
Single by The Stooges | ||||
from the album The Stooges | ||||
B-side | "1969" | |||
Released | July 1969 | |||
Recorded |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 3:09 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | John Cale | |||
The Stooges singles chronology | ||||
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In 2004, the song was ranked number 438 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[6] Pitchfork Media placed it at number 16 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".[7]
In popular culture
The song is featured in several films video games and TV shows including Sid and Nancy, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Transporter 3, Skins, Grand Theft Auto IV (in which featured Iggy Pop as a radio disc jockey), The Runaways, Faster, How I Met Your Mother, Friday Night Lights, The Crow: City of Angels (in which Iggy Pop played the role of Curve, one of the villains), Vietcong, Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse, Gotham, Dogtown and Z-Boys and Brooklyn Nine-Nine in addition to appearing as a downloadable track as part of "The Stooges 01" pack in Rock Band, and the skateboard video by Flip entitled "Sorry".
- The song also appeared in Christian Dior's Spring Summer 2004 fashion show in Paris, France.
Personnel
- Iggy Pop: Vocals
- Ron Asheton: Guitar
- Dave Alexander: Bass Guitar
- Scott Asheton: Drums
- John Cale: Piano, Percussion, Sleigh Bells
Cover versions
- Vicious White Kids, played it live at their only show on August 15, 1978, at the Electric Ballroom.[8] It was released on the Sex Pistols live album Raw and Live (2004).
- Parálisis Permanente released a Spanish version of the song ("Quiero ser tu perro") on their 1982 album El Acto.
- Forgotten Tomb, on their 2011 full length album Under Saturn Retrograde
- Sonic Youth, on their first full-length album Confusion Is Sex (1983).
- Las Vulpes, a Spanish-Basque punk band, recorded a cover/remake titled "Me gusta ser una zorra" ("I like being a slut"). It was their only single, released in 1983.
- David Bowie, played live on the Glass Spider Tour (1987) and released on Glass Spider (1988).
- The World of Skin, a side project of American post-punk band Swans, recorded "I Want to Be Your Dog" as an acoustic, dirge-like cover, released on Shame, Humility, Revenge and The World of Skin, both 1988.
- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, on their album Up Your Alley (1988).
- The House of Love, played it live in Paris 1988, it is included on the deluxe reissue of The House of Love.
- Nirvana, in a December 1989 live performance.
- Uncle Tupelo, recorded a version 1991. It was released on the compilation 89/93: An Anthology, on a reissue of the album March 16–20, 1992, and on a 2013 single.
- Mephisto Walz, on their album The Eternal Deep, released in January 1994.
- Red Hot Chili Peppers performed live at the Madison Square Garden along with Iggy Pop, during the One Hot Minute Tour 1996.
- Slayer, did a parody/tribute titled "I'm Gonna Be Your God", on Undisputed Attitude (1996).
- The Gamma Ray (EP), a musical project by Josh Homme, has a piece titled "If Only Everything" which is clearly inspired by the song.
- Świetliki, a Polish alternative rock and sung poetry band, released a polish version as "Pies" (a dog) on their 1996 album Cacy Cacy Fleischmaschine.
- Dakar & Grinser, a German duo, included it on their 1999 debut album Are You Really Satisfied Now.[9]
- Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13, released on a 2000 split single,[10] included on the box set Little Box of Horrors
- Bob Hund recorded a Swedish interpretation of the song, called "Din Hund" (Your Dog). Released as a B-side in 2001, it is included on the compilation 10 år bakåt & 100 år framåt.
- Miss Kittin & The Hacker, performed at the 2002 Montreux Jazz Festival.
- Émilie Simon, on her albums Émilie Simon (2003), and L'Olympia (2007, live).
- Matmatah, French rock band, a live version on their 2005 album Archie Kramer.
- R.E.M. featuring Patti Smith performed it live at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, New York, NY, 12 March 2007.
- Slank, performing live when opening for Whitesnake in Australia on November 1, 2011.
- Billy Idol, Steve Jones, Leigh Gorman and Clem Burke in 2013: a live performance as a homage to Sid Vicious by a one time only band.[11]
- B.E.F. (British Electric Foundation) on their album Music of Quality and Distinction Volume Three, released in 2013, featuring Boy George.
- Jack White in a June 2014 live performance in Dublin, Ireland.
- Cage the Elephant have been known to play it live.
- King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have covered the song live.
- The Orwells during various live performances.
- French punk rock band Fantomes, in La Creme De Skydog compilation album from 1978
References
- Stiernberg, Bonnie. "The 50 Best Garage Rock Songs of All Time". Paste. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- Martin Charles Strong; Brendon Griffin (2008). Lights, camera, sound tracks. Canongate. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-84767-003-8. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- Britannica Educational Publishing (1 December 2012). Disco, Punk, New Wave, Heavy Metal, and More: Music in the 1970s and 1980s. Britannica Educational Publishing. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-61530-912-2. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- Trynka, Paul (2007). Iggy Pop: open up and bleed. New York: Broadway Books. pp. 95. ISBN 0-7679-2319-7.
- Basedow, Neph. "Sleigh Bells: Not Just For Christmas Anymore". The Houston Press. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-12-17. Retrieved 2017-08-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/6405-the-200-greatest-songs-of-the-1960s/1/
- https://www.amazon.com/I-Wanna-Be-Your-Dog/dp/B002WQ316K
- "Dakar & Grinser – Are You Really Satisfied Now". Discogs. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- "Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 / Nothing But Puke – Love At First Fright / Depraved". Discogs. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOgV6nHmTls
External links
- "I Wanna Be Your Dog" at Discogs (list of releases)