How Frank Sinatra inspired Iggy Pop
Frank Sinatra probably isn’t a name immediately associated when considering Iggy Pop. What could the Godfather of Punk and Ol’ Blue Eyes possibly have in common? Well, Iggy Pop actually considers the crooner to be his original muse.
Despite going on to become one of the most formative artists in the heavier rock and punk scenes, Iggy Pop grew up with more classic tastes. First, he fostered his interest in music in the back of his parents’ car, listening to their favourite songs and singing along, and one track sticks out as a core memory.
“I’ll never forget riding in the back of my parents’ Cadillac, and my father was singing along,” the musician told NPR. He then sang to them, in his deep, rich voice, “Fairy tales can come true / It can happen to you / if you’re young at heart.”
Recalling the lyrics to Sinatra’s 1953 hit ‘Young At Heart’, Iggy Pop would’ve only been six when the song was first released and being played on the radio. Remembering the song being played by his father especially, he said, “I was in the backseat and Frank Sinatra had the hit ‘Young at Heart’, and my father would sing along.”
Soon, he would sing along, too, as the song made him think, “Gee, I’d like to do that.”
As a high-achieving kid, Iggy Pop was actually voted most likely to succeed at his high school. But from the moment he heard Sinatra, that determination turned to music. He said, “When people would ask me after that what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, ‘Well, maybe a singer?!’ I didn’t know why exactly. It wasn’t that I liked the song that much, but I think because it made such an impression on my father.”
But it wasn’t so much Sinatra’s crooning that inspired him. Iggy Pop was never going to be a classic swing singer. He quickly got involved in the Ann Arbor rock scene, playing drums in several bands before finally being allowed to take to the mic in The Stooges. Becoming known as one of the most wild and untamed rock bands of the late 1960s and ‘70s, The Stooges were a far cry from the polished look and feel of Sinatra.
However, it was Sinatra’s singular and instantly recognisable spirit that always inspired Iggy Pop. He wanted to be an icon like that, one that marched to his own drum. He told NPR, “People tend to jump on the bandwagon, and the bandwagon at that time was dumb members of the British yob class growing their hair and butchering the American blues.”
Like Sinatra, his only motivation was to sound and be different, adding, “It was very important what not to do. [Music] has to get up off the couch, walk around and be original.”
Now, at age 76 and still rocking, an original is definitely one way to describe the icon that is Iggy Pop. Enjoying a career just as lengthy as his idol’s, the two musicians are worlds apart, but both hold global renown.
