YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 64 (Addiction)
(Originally finalized on March 11, 2024)
Preface: I just finished watching a harrowing Netflix drama about Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of OxyContin and major contributor to the opioid epidemic, which has claimed many hundreds of thousands of lives - which is to say nothing of the countless families that have been severely and irreparably impacted due to, among other things, the irresponsible handling of dangerously addictive chemicals by this greedy and duplicitous company. So I thought it would be a good time to present a theme I've been working on featuring songs about addiction, and some of the drugs historically responsible for wreaking so much havoc in people's lives. When I was younger, I used to naively champion an individual's freedom to ingest whatever chemicals they wish. But over time, I've come to realize the devastating impact of certain drugs, how they function as a seductive pitfall that lures unsuspecting people to their doom, and above all, how much addiction negatively affects loved ones who never consented to be financial and emotional casualties in another person's journey of chemical dependency. It's a dark subject, but it has inspired some excellent - if haunting - music over the years.
Monday: Steppenwolf - The Pusher [Steppenwolf, 1968]
Comments: We start this week off on the right foot with Steppenwolf's declaration of "total war on the pusher man", from their self-titled 1968 debut album. Though not heard as often as the band's more radio friendly hits, I've long felt that this is one of Steppenwolf's better songs.
Tuesday: Eric Clapton - Cocaine [Slowhand, 1977]
Comments: Curiously sounding more like a catchy radio jingle or a commercial spot than a song about the deadly perils of drug abuse (Purdue Pharma would be proud), Clapton assures us that it's an anti-drug song, but I'm not sure most people got the message. It's one of his most popular songs, but I find it to be somewhat bland. Even within the subset of J.J. Cale-penned tunes that Clapton has recorded, I prefer After Midnight (and more so the slowed-down, bluesy version from 1988).
Wednesday: Styx - Snowblind [Paradise Theatre, 1981] & Black Sabbath - Snowblind [Vol. 4, 1972]
Comments: You might call it cheating, putting two songs in one day, but this is my music log, so I can bend the rules if I want to (:-p). The fact is, Styx and Black Sabbath have both recorded separate songs (that is, one is not a cover of the other) titled Snowblind, with allusions to cocaine. I listened back and forth to both of them, and I honestly couldn't decide that I liked one better than the other. Both are exemplary of their bands' styles - Styx's song is theatrical, while Black Sabbath's is heavy.
Thursday: Quicksilver Messenger Service - Codine [Revolution (Soundtrack), 1968]
Comments: I dug out this relatively obscure track from a disc of QMS outtakes, and did some research on it. It's a powerful addiction ballad written as a firsthand account by folk artist Buffy Sainte-Marie. Early demos of this song were recorded by both Janis Joplin and Donovan, and many artists have covered it since. Janis' vocals are characteristically powerful, and I like the quiet sorrow of Donovan's version, but the Quicksilver Messenger Service, who recorded this song for the soundtrack to a hippie documentary film, add a touch of electric fire to their version.
Friday: The Rolling Stones - Sister Morphine [Sticky Fingers, 1971]
Comments: I don't know what it is about the darkness - maybe it's a reflection of my own difficulty in expressing joy - but I'm drawn to dark subject matters, and this haunting ballad from one of The Stones' biggest albums has long been one of my favorites of theirs. Co-written by Marianne Faithfull, Ry Cooder provides a sorrowful slide guitar lead as Mick Jagger sings about lying in a hospital bed, anticipating his impending demise.
Saturday: The Velvet Underground - Heroin [The Velvet Underground & Nico, 1967]
Comments: While we're on the subject of powerful addiction ballads, Heroin is one of the best. Lou Reed lends his characteristic sense of authenticity to this epic track from The Velvet Underground's cult classic debut album, that effectively evokes the highs and lows of addiction. Mixing gentle harmonies with jarring dissonance, this song gradually builds to a frenzied and chaotic climax, before ultimately fizzling out.
Sunday: Neil Young - The Needle and the Damage Done [Harvest, 1972]
Comments: Bypassing the title track from Tonight's The Night - a drunken funeral dirge dedicated to two of Neil's friends lost to drugs - nothing could close out this theme more poignantly than this haunting acoustic lullaby sung by a man who has witnessed firsthand the deadly aftermath of drug abuse. It also serves as a reminder that those who are left behind to pick up the pieces are victims, too.