An old friend of mine sent me a YouTube link to the David Hasselhoff cover version of Iggy Pop’s old song The Passenger. He included these instructions:
“Don’t laugh! I’m a fan of this song now. Give it a chance, it’s a good song.”
The Passenger first appearing on Iggy’s fantastic 1977 album Lust for Life. Give that record a spin if you haven’t heard it for a while or if you never have. David Bowie had a huge hand in making it.
Hasselhoff’s decent cover of The Passenger reminded me of Siouxsie’s excellent version and an interview I heard on CFNY (102.1 The Edge) about 30 years ago.
Paul Westerberg, someone I consider one of the best American songwriters ever, was being interviewed. Check out these gems, for instance:
The interviewer extolled the talents and achievements of Westerberg, then asked a question that she probably thought was clever and got an answer she most likely didn’t expect.
Interview with the Replacement
Interviewer: “You are so well-respected and accomplished as a songwriter and have written so many great ones. Are there any songs you didn’t write but wish you had?”
Paul Westerberg, after a pause: “Oh, um, jeez, I dunno. Maybe Happy Birthday?”
Interviewer, laughing: “Oh my gosh, yeah! Think of the royalties!”
Paul Westerberg: “No, not at all. It is just a great song that anyone can sing.”
The Passenger is like Happy Birthday – it’s a great song anyone can sing. Even David Hasselhoff.
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