The Departed

Album: Ready to Die (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Ready To Die marked the return of guitarist James Williamson following the death on January 6, 2009 of Stooges axeman Ron Asheton. This song started out as a homage by Williamson to Asheton but frontman Iggy Pop expanded it into a solemn tribute to lost friends. Iggy explained to Mojo magazine: "In Ann Arbor and Detroit in the late '60s, early '70s, some of us were more 'us' than the others, with some dying on the young side. This was the first new piece James sent me after we started touring as Iggy & The Stooges again, and it was a giant pain-in-the-ass bitch motherfu--er epic to do.

    "It started out as an instrumental," he continued. "Just James on dobro and he called it 'Ron's Tune.' I didn't want to write a personal song, so it's more like, 'The party's over', or 'It's getting late.'"
  • The song quotes the riff from the classic 1969 Stooges number "I Wanna Be Your Dog," on which Asheton was the lead guitarist.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Weezer

WeezerFact or Fiction

Did Rivers Cuomo grow up on a commune? Why did they name their albums after colors? See how well you know your Weezer in this Fact or Fiction.

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.