10 Greatest Tribute Songs In Rock History
9. The Departed - Iggy And The Stooges
Mad skeleton man Iggy Pop did something very unexpected in the year 2007 - he put a shirt on before leaving the house!
Oh, and he also reformed The Stooges.
Five years later, the band released only their second album since 1973. Ready to Die was largely well-received by fans, even if these proto-punk gods were getting a little past their prime.
Iggy was practically transparent by this point.
Rounding out the album was a track called The Departed, which served as a tribute to the many friends the band had lost over the years. Being in the business of rock music, you can only imagine how high that number must be.
More specifically, the song is for guitarist Ron Asheton, who passed away in 2009.
Pop's growly speak-singing narrates over the top a simple, yet haunting acoustic guitar track. Sure, it's not going to win any awards for technical vocalising, but it has that otherworldly quality to it that made so much of Johnny Cash's later work so captivating to listen to.
The fact that this is so different to the rest of The Stooges' output shows just how seriously they took this song and its subject matter.