I’m happy to report that not all 70-plus white male classic rockers are COVID-19 deniers. Iggy Pop is back with a new song inspired by the novel coronavirus, and unlike Eric Clapton and Van Morrison’s recent anti-lockdown collaboration, Pop’s “Dirty Little Virus” accurately reflects the severity of the pandemic — even if the lyrics are, times, quite painful.
“COVID-19 is on the scene,” Pop sings to open the song. “Grandfather’s dead. Got Trump instead.” Later he croons, “She’s only 19, but she can kill ya. She ain’t my type, but it is what it is.”
In a video accompanying the song’s release, Pop explained that he was “moved to write a direct lyric, not something too emotional or deep, more like journalism. Who, what, where, where… I left out the why, because that gets too complex. But I put in how I felt about it.”
Listen below via Bandcamp.
Earlier this year, Iggy Pop appeared alongside Tyler the Creator and ASAP Rocky in a new Gucci ad campaign, and joined Elvis Costello for a French-language version of his song “No Flag”. He also recently inducted Nine Into Nails in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Editor’s Note: Stay safe by picking up one of our custom face masks. A portion of the proceeds will benefit MusiCares’ COVID-19 Artist Relief fund supporting independent musicians.
