Songfacts®:

• "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" was written by Dylan Thomas (1914–1953) in 1947 when the poet was in Florence with his family. It was first published four years later in the journal Botteghe Oscure. The Welshman's most famous work, the poem wasn't originally given a title, but two lines appear as refrains throughout the piece:
  
  Do not go gentle into that good night
  
  Rage, rage against the dying of the light
  
  A meditation on mortality, it has been suggested that "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" was written for Thomas' dying father, although he did not pass away until just before Christmas in 1952.
• Iggy Pop first recorded a reading of the poem for a British ad firm; when the American singer was recording Free, he felt it would fit well into the album's themes.
• Iggy's dad was a high school teacher and baseball coach. "The part I had trouble getting out of my mouth was the last stanza addressing the father," the singer admitted to The Sun. "I had a lot of love and respect for my father and I never felt I was as good a man as him. I thought, 'Gee, do I have the right to talk to MY dad like that?' Well, not really."
• This was one of three tracks on Free produced by the LA-based guitarist and composer Noveller. This reading was the first piece that Iggy sent her, and she decided to create a soundscape through improvisation. Novellier explained to Guitar: "I really wanted to support the vocal and create a narrative, emotional arc with my playing. I had previously recorded an all-guitar cover of the theme from John Carpenter's The Thing and Iggy had heard that and he really, really liked that."
• Simon Taylor directed the video, which features an intense close-up shot of Iggy Pop reading the poem.