The Waterboys Announce Star-Studded Concept Album, Life, Death and Dennis Hopper

The Waterboys Pay Tribute to Dennis Hopper with Concept Album

Legendary folk-rock band The Waterboys have announced Life, Death and Dennis Hopper, a concept album honoring the life and legacy of the iconic actor. Set for release on April 4, 2025, via Sun Records, the album will feature contributions from an impressive roster of artists, including Fiona Apple, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith, and Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go’s.

The album’s first single, Hopper’s On Top (Genius), drops on January 10 alongside a music video. Fans can also view the album’s cover art and tracklist, which were revealed with the announcement.

A Tribute to a Cultural Icon

Waterboys frontman Mike Scott describes the 25-track album as a “song cycle” that chronicles Hopper’s life while reflecting on the broader human experience.

“The arc of his life was the story of our times,” Scott shared in a statement. “[Dennis Hopper] was at the big bang of youth culture in Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean; and the beginnings of Pop Art with the young Andy Warhol. He was part of the counter-culture, hippie, civil rights, and psychedelic scenes of the ’60s. In the ’70s and ’80s, he went on a wild 10-year rip, almost died, came back, got straight, and became a five-movies-a-year character actor without losing the sparkle in his eye or the sense of danger or unpredictability that always gathered around him.”

The album begins with Hopper’s childhood and ends the morning after his death in 2010, exploring key moments of his career, cultural impact, and personal struggles.

A Star-Studded Musical Collaboration

The album represents the Waterboys’ first original release since 2022’s All Souls Hill and builds on their previous tribute to Hopper, the song Dennis Hopper from their 2020 album Good Luck, Seeker. This time, the band is joined by a stellar lineup of guest artists, including:

• Fiona Apple
• Bruce Springsteen
• Steve Earle
• Sugarfoot
• Patti Palladin
• Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith
• Barny Fletcher
• Anana Kaye

Concept and Anticipation

Mike Scott explained that the album isn’t just about Hopper’s life but also serves as a meditation on existence itself:

“It begins in his childhood, ends the morning after his death, and I get to say a whole lot along the way—not just about Dennis, but about the whole strange adventure of being a human soul on planet Earth.”

Life, Death and Dennis Hopper promises to celebrate not only the actor’s storied career and influence but also his complex, often tumultuous journey as a person.

Fans of both Dennis Hopper and The Waterboys can look forward to this ambitious musical project, which blends storytelling, cultural commentary, and iconic guest performances.

Stay tuned for the January 10 release of Hopper’s On Top (Genius) and mark your calendars for April 4, 2025, to experience the full album.

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Life, Death and Dennis Hopper tracklist:

1. ‘Kansas’ (featuring Steve Earle)
2. ‘Hollywoodf’55’
3. ‘Live In The Moment, Baby’
4. ‘Brooke / 1712 North Crescent Heights’
5. ‘Andy (A Guy Like You)’
6. ‘The Tourist’ (featuring Barny Fletcher)
7. ‘Freaks On Wheels’
8. ‘Blues For Terry Southern’
9. ‘Memories Of Monterey’
10. ‘Riding Down To Mardi Gras’
11. ‘Hopper’s On Top (Genius)’
12. ‘Transcendental Peruvian Blues’
13. ‘Michelle (Always Stay)’
14. ‘Freakout At The Mud Palace’
15. ‘Daria’
16. ‘Ten Years Gone’ (featuring Bruce Springsteen)
17. ‘Letter From An Unknown Girlfriend’ (featuring Fiona Apple)
18. ‘Rock Bottom’
19. ‘I Don’t Know How I Made It’ (featuring Taylor Goldsmith)
20. ‘Frank (Let’s Fu*k)’
21. ‘Katherine’ (featuring Anana Kaye)
22. ‘Everybody Loves Dennis Hopper’
23. ‘Golf, They Say’
24. ‘Venice, California (Victoria)/The Passing Of Hopper’
25. ‘Aftermath’