Hell is hot but Iggy Pop burns hotter on his smoldering new cover of Leonard Cohen‘s “You Want It Darker.” The track appears on Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen, out October 14th.
“You Want It Darker” is the title track from Cohen’s final album, released in 2016. Iggy makes a few cosmetic changes to the original, replacing Cohen’s heavenly choirs with pulsing drums, jerky keys, and a free jazz saxophone.
But the biggest difference is the vocalist. Cohen is an all-time great lyricist who made the most of the voice he was given, while the Iguana has gifts that are barely human. He positively snarls on “If thine is the glory, then mine must be the shame,” and when he says, “You want it darker, we kill the flame,” you might find yourself reaching for the nightlight. Check out the cover below.
Pre-orders for Here It Is are ongoing. Previously, we’ve heard PJ Harvey’s cover of “Who by Fire.” As for Iggy Pop, earlier this year he hopped on Danny Elfman’s Big Mess remix album, and in 2023 he’ll headline the new Destination Chaos festival.