Iggy Pop and Siouxsie Sioux team up on new version of 'The Passenger'

1 May 2024, 13:59

Two punk icons have teamed up.

'The Passenger' is one of Iggy Pop's most enduring songs, as a solo artist at least, and has remained a firm favourite of the shirtless, slithering singer for nearly fifty years.

Released in 1977, the song was co-written and recorded for Iggy's now-iconic album Lust For Life.

One notable fan of the song was fellow punk icon Siouxsie Sioux, who recorded her own version a decade after the original's release in 1987 for her covers album, Through The Looking Glass.

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Though Siouxsie returned to music with her 2023 tour, the punk pioneer hasn't recorded or released any new material in nearly ten years.

Her last official release was 'Love Crime', a one-off song she recorded for the finale of the Hannibal series.

That's all changed, with Iggy and Siouxsie putting their heads together on a new version of 'The Passenger', a song they've both performed in the past.

Iggy Pop - The Passenger (Official Video)

Siouxsie And The Banshees - The Passenger

Strangely enough however, their revamped version of the song appears on an ice cream advert, having been used for a Magnum advert on their recent 'Pleasure Express' campaign.

Whilst the brooding, slow-moving cover might sound like the kind of moody version you'd hear on a movie trailer, it was re-recorded especially for the advert.

It's gone under the radar however with little fanfare made about the unique re-recording between the two punk legends.

Though once music website Brooklyn Vegan did some digging, the pair have come out and made statements on the duet.

Magnum | Pleasure Express

"I love this song, and I’ve always loved Iggy's voice,” Siouxsie said in the statement. "I adore how instinctive and spontaneous it all feels and to hear my voice with Iggy's is such a dream."

Naturally, Iggy returned the sentiment saying: "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," he added.

The new duet of 'The Passenger' has yet to appear on streaming sites, and there's little info about whether or not Siouxsie intends to return to the studio either.

Iggy's most recent release however came in 2023, with his nineteenth studio album Every Loser, so it might be a while before we hear any new material from the 'Godfather of Punk' himself.