Many had hoped that lightning would strike twice at last year’s Cruel World Festival and manifest a collaboration between Iggy Pop and Siouxsie Sioux, who were both featured back to back on the bill. Still, better late than never: the two icons have joined forces for a scrumptious reimagining of Pop’s iconic 1977 hit, The Passenger.
Arranged by award-winning composer Sarah deCourcy, this otherworldly remix adds a fresh layer of allure to the timeless classic. It’s all part of an audacious campaign for Magnum ice cream’s latest indulgence—Pleasure Express, featuring three new tempting flavors: Euphoria, Wonder, and Chill. (Alas, no Iggy Popsicle in sight!)
The Passenger, penned by Pop alongside guitarist Ricky Gardiner, first made waves on Pop’s album Lust for Life. With production credits shared by David Bowie, Colin Thurston, and Pop under the moniker The Belway Bros., the album was birthed in the creative cauldron of Berlin’s Hansa Studios following Pop’s tour with Bowie for The Idiot.
This tune soared to even greater heights when Siouxsie and the Banshees offered their own rendition on their all-covers album Through the Looking Glass a decade later. Now, with deCourcy’s deft touch, The Passenger rides again, tastier and cooler than ever.
“Siouxsie can sing like a bird. I’ve always thought she was a great lady.” Iggy Pop says. “Her version of the song was already special, but what happened here, singing together, is really unique. Like Volare, the orchestral treatment and marriage of voices flies free, in a spirit of joy.”
“I love this song, and I’ve always loved Iggy’s voice.” added the ice cream “ice-queen,” Sioux. “I adore how instinctive and spontaneous it all feels and to hear my voice with Iggy’s is such a dream.”
The Passenger (Magnum Ice Cream Version) is Sioux’s first new recording in nine years.
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