"Search and Destroy" is a song by American rock band the Stooges, recorded for the group's third album Raw Power (1973). Lead singer Iggy Pop said that the title was derived from a column heading in a Time article about the Vietnam War.[2]
In 1997, "Search and Destroy" (along with the rest of the songs on Raw Power) was remixed and remastered by Pop and Bruce Dickinson. The result was far more aggressive and stripped down than the original release, which had been mixed by David Bowie.
In a song review for AllMusic, Bill Janovitz commented on the song's influence:
With "Search and Destroy," the Stooges lay down an archetype for punk rock: [Stooges' guitarist] James Williamson blistering through a bastardized and pumped-up Keith Richards guitar riff; Ron Asheton, having been relegated from guitar to bass, pounds the instrument with ferocity, while his brother, Scott Asheton, pummels the drum set like Keith Moon – all fills and cymbals... One can hear the influence of the song in a myriad of bands that followed: the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, Motörhead, the Dead Boys (who covered it), and Nirvana.[10]
^Smith, Troy L. (May 24, 2016). "50 greatest album-opening songs". cleveland.com. Retrieved December 27, 2018. 'Search and Destroy' is a raw form of garage rock that would go onto influence a number of artists.