Iggy Pop and Siouxsie Sioux have joined forces for a brooding new rendition of ‘The Passenger’ – made for an advert for Magnum ice cream.
The song was originally co-written and recorded by Iggy Pop for his now-iconic album ‘Lust For Life’, which dropped in 1977, and has gone on to become one of his most popular releases.
It was then re-recorded a decade later, by Siouxsie And The Banshees, who put their own signature spin on the song as part of their 1987 covers album ‘Through The Looking Glass’.
Now, over 35 years later, the two have come together in a new collaboration to remake the song for the third time, and as it turns out, they did it for a new advert to promote Magnum ice cream.
In the ad, an actress is seen eating an ice cream bar while riding on a train and, in the background, the new rendition of the 1977 song can be heard, as Pop delivers his signature brooding vocals and Siouxsie Sioux contributes a dramatic verse.
While it may seem like a remix you’d expect from a film trailer, it turns out that the song is actually new and recorded by both punk icons exclusively for the ad. The rendition is one-minute long, and it can be heard behind the crunch sound effects.
Check it out below.
As highlighted by Brooklyn Vegan, it seems that the ad has been out for a number of weeks now, but people have only just begun to notice the song that plays in the backdrop. The outlet also revealed that both Iggy Pop and Siouxsie Sioux have issued press release statements about their participation.
“I love this song, and I’ve always loved Iggy’s voice. I adore how instinctive and spontaneous it all feels, and to hear my voice with Iggy’s is such a dream,” Sioux said of the collaboration, while Pop added: “Siouxsie can sing like a bird. I’ve always thought she was a great lady. Her version of the song was already special, but what happened here, singing together, is really unique. Like ‘Volare,’ the orchestral treatment and marriage of voices flies free, in a spirit of joy.”
Stereogum also noted that the contribution of the track for the Magnum advert marks Siouxsie Sioux’s first new music in nearly 10 years, with her last official release being the one-off track ‘Love Crime’, which she recorded for the Hannibal series finale.
Before then, her last release arrived eight years earlier. More recently, she returned to the live stage last year and performed a series of shows across Europe and America for the first time in a decade. During this time, she broke out a live debut of a song called ‘Israel’ while at the Cruel World Festival in California, although the song has yet to be officially released.
As for Iggy Pop, the rock veteran delivered his latest studio album ‘Every Loser’ at the beginning of last year, which featured star-studded contributions from Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, bassist Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, Blink 182’s Travis Barker, guitarist Stone Gossard, former Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, and Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro and Eric Avery, and late Foo Fighter’s drummer Taylor Hawkins.
It was given a four-star review by NME, with Erica Campbell writing: “The album’s players are a star-studded line-up of rock legends […] but no one steals the scene from Iggy, who spends ‘Every Loser’ transmuting every version of his sound and experience into moments that push you to laugh and shout before sitting you down for a reflective moment.”
“It features Hawkins drumming in a way Pop describes as ‘percolating’ and ‘bubbling’ before the song falls back neatly into a doo-wop pace, closing out the album,” it continued. “It’s a perfect end for an album that, even when it’s lyrically sincere, self-deprecating, or acutely aware, manages to stay larger than life. ‘Every Loser’ is a present-day primal punk resurrection from the only musician qualified to make one.”
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