Iggy Pop - Real Wild Child (Wild One)

Often called the godfather of punk, Iggy Pop is a true musical innovator who helped change the course of rock.  Unfortunately, this influence did not lead to a ton of commercial success, making him akin to Lou Reed, who was featured on ERV last September.

Iggy Pop is best-known for being the frontman of the Stooges, who are often viewed as the proto-punk band.  While they were not hugely successful, their stripped down, high velocity songs and energetic live performances (which included the innovation of stage diving) were years ahead of their time.  The Stooges first album was released in 1969 and the band broke up in 1974.  At that time, substance abuse derailed Pop's career, a problem that would haunt him for years.

While Pop recorded some music during the 1970s and early 1980s, it was inconsistent, almost as if he did not know what direction to turn towards after the Stooges.  Additionally, his addiction problems undoubtedly impacted his work (and led to several breaks from the industry).

His 1986 album Blah Blah Blah, co-produced by old friend David Bowie, saw something of a return to form, and the album was a modest commercial success -- reaching #90 on the charts.  Although his cover of  Johnny O'Keefe's "Wild One" did not break the Hot 100, it did chart on the Mainstream Rock Charts.  [As an aside, I'll bet that there are a bunch of folks that heard the song and did not realize that it was a cover.]  The success helped re-launch Pop's career, and he has continued to perform (and act a little) to this day.

His version of "Real Wild Child (Wild One):"

And, of course, the original "Wild One" by Australian Johnny O'Keefe from 1958:

Cool trivia fact:  The O'Keefe song was the first rock song to hit the Australian national charts, and the song's release date, July 5, 1958 is often considered the birthday of rock and roll in Australia.