Gardenia

Album: Post Pop Depression (2016)
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Songfacts®:

  • This is the second track on Post Pop Depression, Iggy Pop's 17th studio album. Josh Homme, who produced the record, told Mojo the story of the song: "I had a bass-line I couldn't get out of my head. And he responded to that immediately. He told me this story: 'I was in San Francisco, with Allen Ginsberg, and there was this black stripper, Gardenia. She was beautiful, a lot of body. We were both going after her but I ended up hooking up with her. But she just wanted drugs at the end of the day. She was amazing…' And that's the lyrics."

    "'America's greatest poet was ogling you all night,' that's Ginsberg. The honesty of his love lyrics – it's not wrapped in imagery, it's not smoke in the air."
  • The song was debuted by Iggy Pop with a performance during the January 21, 2016 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
  • Post Pop Depression debuted at #17 on the US album chart, Iggy Pop's highest-ever placing. His previous highest-charting record was 1977's Idiot, which reached #72.

    The LP also topped the Rock Albums and Alternative Albums tallies, resulting in Pop's first ever #1 on a Billboard chart as a solo act.

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