STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
There's just over a month left in this decade. So we are asking artists to tell us things they loved over the past 10 years.
IGGY POP: Hello. This is Iggy Pop. I want to choose "Sweet Leaf Of The North" by Mik Artistik's Ego Trip.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWEET LEAF OF THE NORTH")
MIK ARTISTIKS EGO TRIP: This song's all about a little leaf that got trapped behind the windscreen wiper when we were going to go - going to a gig in London.
IGGY POP: Mik Artistik is not a household name. And in this track, he describes the experience of being a band from a poor northern town who is very excited that they're going to get in their van and drive to play in the big city.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWEET LEAF OF THE NORTH")
MIK ARTISTIKS EGO TRIP: And we got into London, and I was so excited. And I got a - I jumped out of the car. And I needed to go to the toilet very quickly 'cause at my age...
IGGY POP: And as the band get in their van, they notice that there's a small brown leaf that has attached itself to their windscreen. And it's stuck in the windshield wiper, and it doesn't leave. And when they finish the gig, it's still there. And it makes the entire journey home with them.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWEET LEAF OF THE NORTH")
MIK ARTISTIKS EGO TRIP: (Singing) Well, we carried the leaf all the way on the windscreen to London. And we carried the leaf all the way on the windscreen back to Leeds.
IGGY POP: And the song talks a lot about hope and reality. And although Mik is not a trained vocalist, he is accompanied by a very, very sensitive and tasteful guitarist. And it's very pleasant to listen to.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWEET LEAF OF THE NORTH")
MIK ARTISTIKS EGO TRIP: (Singing) Sweet leaf of the north, you go back-and-forth - a little brown star to guide us on our way.
IGGY POP: There it is - my pick for best of the 2010s - because it's human, and it's real, and it has soul.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWEET LEAF OF THE NORTH")
MIK ARTISTIKS EGO TRIP: (Singing) A symbol of hope...
INSKEEP: Iggy Pop, the godfather of punk.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWEET LEAF OF THE NORTH")
MIK ARTISTIKS EGO TRIP: (Singing) In a world that's cold and gray. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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