"Funtime" is a song written by

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, first released by Iggy Pop on his 1977 album entitled ''

The Idiot ''The Idiot'' (Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform ) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–1869. The titl ...

''. It reflects Iggy and Bowie's growing fascination with the German music scene, and bears marked similarities to "Lila Engel" by

krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...

band

Neu! Neu! (; German for "New!"; styled in block capitals) were a West German krautrock band formed in Düsseldorf in 1971 by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother following their departure from Kraftwerk. The group's albums were produced by Conny Plank, w ...

. It has since been covered by multiple artists including Blondie,

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...

Bebe Buell Beverle Lorence "Bebe" Buell ( ; born July 14, 1953) is an American singer and former model. She was ''Playboy'' magazine's November 1974 Playmate of the Month. Buell moved to New York in 1972 after signing a modeling contract with Eileen Ford, ...

, Peter Murphy,

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

and

The Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...

Composition

Iggy had the idea for the song after hearing the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

cover the song " No Fun" by his band

The Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...

, lyrically the song's ironic take on fun is similar to the song in question.

wrote the music as well as plays guitar, synthesizers, piano and sings the main chorus on the track. Most notably one of the riffs he plays is a parody of the main riff of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

' "

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it features a guitar riff by Richards that opens and drives the song. The riff is w ...

". The song would also appear to have been inspired by the Sly & The Family Stone song "Fun", which appeared on their 1968 album Life.

Use in media

The song was used in the movie '' The Hunger'' along with the song "

Bela Lugosi's Dead "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is the debut single by the English post-punk band Bauhaus, released in August 1979 on the Small Wonder label. It is often considered the first gothic rock record. History "Bela Lugosi's Dead" was recorded "live in the st ...

" by

goth rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie an ...

band

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

, whose frontman Peter Murphy later covered "Funtime". ''The Hunger'' also stars the co-writer of "Funtime", David Bowie.

Details

Following its studio appearance on ''The Idiot'', a live version of "Funtime" was included on Pop's '' TV Eye Live 1977''. Pop also performed the song on the television show

Dinah! ''Dinah!'' is a daytime variety talk show that was hosted by singer and actress Dinah Shore. The series was distributed by 20th Century Fox Television and premiered on October 21, 1974, in syndication. In 1979, the show became known as ''Di ...

in 1977 with Bowie accompanying on keyboards and backing vocal. During the sessions for 1981's '' Shake It Up'', members of

recorded a version of "Funtime" featuring bassist

Benjamin Orr Benjamin Orr (, September 8, 1947 – October 3, 2000) was an American musician. He was best known as the bassist, co-lead vocalist, and co-founder of the band the Cars. He sang lead vocals on several of their hits, including "Just What I Nee ...

on vocals. According to Brett Milano's liner notes for '' Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology'', Pop was present at the recording session and complimented Orr's vocal impersonation of him, telling the bassist "You sound more like me than me." The song was later stripped of Orr's vocals and re-sung by fashion model

, whom Cars singer

Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek ( ), was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the America ...

had befriended. The version with Buell's vocals was included on her 1981 EP ''Covers Girl''; the Cars version was released on 1995's ''Just What I Needed'' anthology. Former

singer Peter Murphy included a cover of "Funtime" on his 1988 album ''

Love Hysteria ''Love Hysteria'' is the second solo album by the British solo artist Peter Murphy, formerly of the gothic rock band Bauhaus. It was released in 1988. The album was largely written with former B-Movie keyboard player Paul Statham, who had joine ...

''. In 1989,

released their own version as the B-side to the ''

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

'' track "

Get Up Get Up may refer to: Film and television * Get Up! (film), ''Get Up!'' (film), a 2003 Japanese film directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu * Get Up (film), ''Get Up'' (film), a 2008 South Korean television film directed by Lee Jae-dong * Get Up! (TV program ...

". A live version of "Funtime" was also recorded by R.E.M. on November 19, 1992, and included on 1995's '' Strange Currencies'' EP. A fifteen-minute live medley of T. Rex's " Bang a Gong" and "Funtime" was performed in 1980 by American band Blondie and released on the 1997 album '' Picture This Live'', also released as ''Blondie Live - Philadelphia 1978/Dallas 1980''.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the medley as a highlight of the disc. English pop singer

released a cover of "Funtime" as the lead track on his 1995 album '' Cheapness and Beauty''; AllMusic reviewer William Ruhlmann described George's cover as "a screaming guitar rock version." A music video was created for the song and it was released as a single, reaching number 45 on the UK Singles Chart in April 1995 and number 60 in Australia in June 1995.

Personnel

: Vocals *

: Backing Vocals, Guitar, Synthesizers, Piano *

Phil Palmer Philip John Palmer (born 9 September 1952) is a British rock sideman and session guitarist who has toured, recorded, and worked with numerous artists. He is best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Dire Straits. Biography Palmer grew up ...

: Guitar * George Murray: Bass Guitar *

Dennis Davis Dennis Davis (August 28, 1951 – April 6, 2016) was an American drummer and session musician best known for his work with David Bowie, playing on ten albums—including seven successive studio albums—during the singer's classic mid- and late ...

: Drums

References

{{authority control 1977 songs Iggy Pop songs Songs written by Iggy Pop Songs written by David Bowie Song recordings produced by David Bowie