"I Wanna Be Your Dog" is a song by American rock band the Stooges, released as the group's debut single from the band's 1969 self-titled debut album. The riff is 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 distortion-heavy guitar intro, single-note piano riff played by producer John Cale of the Velvet Underground, and steady, driving beat, gave the cutting edge of the early heavy metal and punk sound.[5]
| "I Wanna Be Your Dog" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of the 1969 Italian single | ||||
| Single by the Stooges | ||||
| from the album The Stooges | ||||
| B-side | "1969" | |||
| Released | July 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||
| Studio | The Hit Factory, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:09 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | John Cale | |||
| The Stooges singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "I Wanna Be Your Dog" on YouTube | ||||
In 2004, the song was ranked number 438 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time",[6] but it was dropped to number 445 on its 2010 revision, then was re-ranked at number 314 on its 2021 list.[7] Pitchfork Media placed it at number 16 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".[8]
Personnel
edit- Iggy Pop - vocals
- Ron Asheton - guitar
- Dave Alexander - bass
- Scott Asheton - drums
- John Cale - piano, sleigh bells
Cover versions
edit- Sid Vicious performed a version of the song on his debut album Sid Sings. Actor Gary Oldman performed the song as Sid in the film Sid & Nancy.
- Sonic Youth covered this song live on their Confusion Is Sex LP and on David Sanborn's Night Music TV show in 1989.[9]
- Spanish female punk band Las Vulpes covered the song in 1983 with lyrics in Spanish. The song's title, "Me gusta ser una zorra", translates to English as "I like being a whore". They performed the song on the Spanish national state television broadcaster on a Saturday at noon in April 1983, causing a stir for the explicit and harsh lyrics.[10][11]
- Uncle Tupelo released a cover of the song on their 89/93: An Anthology compilation album, having previously released a demo cover of the song on their March 16-20, 1992 LP.
- Swans performed a version of the song on their Children of God/World of Skin LP.
- Matt Mays recorded a cover of the song on his 2020 album Dog City.[12]
- Actor John McCrea sang a cover version heard in the 2021 film Cruella. McCrea also appeared in the film.[13] Damiano David, lead vocalist of Måneskin, performed a cover of the song for the Italian dub of the film.[14]
- Modern Life Is War released a cover in 2021 on their EP Tribulation Worksongs, Vol. 3.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b Stiernberg, Bonnie. "The 50 Best Garage Rock Songs of All Time". Paste. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
- ^ Martin Charles Strong; Brendon Griffin (2008). Lights, camera, sound tracks. Canongate. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-84767-003-8. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ^ Britannica Educational Publishing (December 1, 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 October 6, 2015.
- ^ Irwin, Corey (October 4, 2024). "Top 30 Punk Rock Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
- ^ Trynka, Paul (2007). Iggy Pop: open up and bleed. New York: Broadway Books. pp. 95. ISBN 978-0-7679-2319-4.
- ^ "Rolling Stone : The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 17, 2006. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- ^ Rolling Stone (September 15, 2021). "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "The 200 Best Songs of the 1960s | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.
- ^ https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/sonic-youth-stooges-i-wanna-be-your-dog-tv-debut/ Far Out Magazine October 3, 2021
- ^ Montero, Rosa (May 4, 1983). "El mundo subterráneo del grupo 'punki' Las Vulpes". El País. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
- ^ Pulliam, June Michele (2021). Listen to Punk Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-Clio. pp. 80–82. ISBN 978-1440865732.
- ^ Oliver Crook, "Matt Mays' 'Dog City' Turns a Corny Concept into a Heartwarming Experiment". Exclaim!, May 22, 2020.
- ^ Jirak, Jamie (May 28, 2021). "Cruella's John McCrea Recorded a Song for the Film". Comicbook.com. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "Maneskin doppiatori per Crudelia: "Siamo come Lei"". Sky TG24 (in Italian). May 25, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
- ^ "Hear Modern Life Is War's New Rager "Survival"". Revolver. November 30, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
External links
edit- "I Wanna Be Your Dog" at Discogs (list of releases)