“Modern Day Ripoff” by Iggy Pop
Iggy admitted that he was cranky at the time “Modern Day Ripoff” was composed. He also described the vocalist’s character as being a “middle-aged white guy”, but we know that by this point, Pop has personally passed that stage and is more akin to a highly-poetic senior.
There are some lines which do noticeably focus on the singer commenting on his age in one way or another. For instance, in the first verse, we find Iggy putting forth that he “don’t know how to die”. And in the second verse, he also implies that he can’t enjoy drugs like he used to.
But that said, “Modern Day Ripoff” in its entirety is a bit of a head scratcher in terms of trying to make comprehensive sense out of all that’s being said.
For example, even with Iggy’s explanation in tow, it’s quite challenging pinning down what exactly the title is supposed to mean. But using a little bit of logic, perhaps what Pop is trying to get at is him perceiving aging in and of itself as being a “ripoff”, i.e. a process which is proving less than ideal, if you will. But of course, that would not explain why he included the phrase “modern day” in the title/chorus also. So as usual, we are left a bit stumped by one of his outings.
Release Date of “Modern Day Ripoff”
“Modern Day Ripoff” dropped on 6th of January, 2023, the same day as Iggy’s nineteenth studio album. The album in question, which is titled “Every Loser”, was supported by the following singles prior to its release:
- “Frenzy”
- “Strung Out Johnny”
Credits
Pop was part of the quartet that wrote this track. This is how the complete list of writers looks like:
- Iggy Pop
- Andrew Watt (who also produced “Every Loser”)
- Duff McKagen
- Chad Smith
