I Wanna Be Your Dog

"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 (1969-07)
Recorded	1969
Studio	The Hit Factory, New York City
Genre	Garage rock[1][2] proto-punk[1][3][4]
Length	3:09
Label	Elektra
Songwriter(s)	Dave Alexander Ron Asheton Scott Asheton Iggy Pop
Producer(s)	John Cale
The Stooges singles chronology
"I Wanna Be Your Dog" (1969) "1969" (1969)
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

• Iggy Pop - vocals
• Ron Asheton - guitar
• Dave Alexander - bass
• Scott Asheton - drums
• John Cale - piano, sleigh bells

Cover versions

• 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

1. Stiernberg, Bonnie. "The 50 Best Garage Rock Songs of All Time". Paste. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
2. Martin Charles Strong; Brendon Griffin (2008). Lights, camera, sound tracks. Canongate. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-84767-003-8. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
3. 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.
4. Irwin, Corey (October 4, 2024). "Top 30 Punk Rock Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
5. Trynka, Paul (2007). Iggy Pop: open up and bleed. New York: Broadway Books. pp. 95. ISBN 978-0-7679-2319-4.
6. "Rolling Stone : The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 17, 2006. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
7. Rolling Stone (September 15, 2021). "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone.
8. "The 200 Best Songs of the 1960s | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.
9. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/sonic-youth-stooges-i-wanna-be-your-dog-tv-debut/ Far Out Magazine October 3, 2021
10. Montero, Rosa (May 4, 1983). "El mundo subterráneo del grupo 'punki' Las Vulpes". El País. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
11. Pulliam, June Michele (2021). Listen to Punk Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-Clio. pp. 80–82. ISBN 978-1440865732.
12. Oliver Crook, "Matt Mays' 'Dog City' Turns a Corny Concept into a Heartwarming Experiment". Exclaim!, May 22, 2020.
13. Jirak, Jamie (May 28, 2021). "Cruella's John McCrea Recorded a Song for the Film". Comicbook.com. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
14. "Maneskin doppiatori per Crudelia: "Siamo come Lei"". Sky TG24 (in Italian). May 25, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
15. "Hear Modern Life Is War's New Rager "Survival"". Revolver. November 30, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2022.

External links

• "I Wanna Be Your Dog" at Discogs (list of releases)