Cocaine (song)

Cocaine is a song written by Oklahoma singer-songwriter J. J. Cale, and most notably covered by Eric Clapton on his 1977 album Slowhand.

Cale had written this song early in his career as a jazz piece. It was later recommended that he record a rock version, which he did; it was released on his fourth album, Troubadour. When the album was first released, radio stations refused to play "Cocaine," for obvious reasons. Considering his limited fame, Cale was very easy to say no to at the time, but when Eric Clapton recorded it a year later, stations started to play it.

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The song's message

Contrary to popular belief, “Cocaine” is an anti-drug song. Eric Clapton said:

“It’s no good to write a deliberate anti-drug song and hope that it will catch. Because the general thing is that people will be upset by that. It would disturb them to have someone else shoving something down their throat. So the best thing to do is offer something that seems ambiguous — that on study or on reflection actually can be seen to be ‘anti’— which the song “Cocaine” is actually an anti-cocaine song. If you study it or look at it with a little bit of thought… from a distance… or as it goes by… it just sounds like a song about cocaine. But in actual fact, it is quite cleverly anti-cocaine.”^[1]

Over the years, Clapton has added the lyrics 'that dirty cocaine' in live shows to underline the anti-drug message of the song. Clapton was a heavy heroin user in the early '70s (upon his return to England after recording Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, he was spending £1500 per week), and got off it in 1974. He eventually founded the Crossroads Centre in Antigua to help others who are fighting addiction.

Clapton has also commented:

“…that’s an anti-drug-song. The fans only listen to the refrain: ‘She don’t lie, she don’t lie, cocaine.’ But it says, ‘If you wanna get down, down on the ground, cocaine.’ It’s sad how young people destroy themselves with drugs. I hate listening to my old records, which I did stoned or drunk.”^[2]

Performances and cover versions

Glyn Johns produced the Clapton recording. He had previously worked with The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. Clapton has also recorded several other songs written by Cale, including "After Midnight" and "Travelin' Light".

Clapton played "Cocaine" at The Crossroads Guitar Festival. Although Cale was present, Clapton played this without him. Clapton would later join Cale when he played his set, which included "After Midnight". In 1988, Elton John and Mark Knopfler joined Clapton on stage to perform this at the 6th annual Prince's Trust Rock Gala. Proceeds from the show went to charity.

The song was also covered by Scottish rock band Nazareth appearing (in a live recording) on their album The Fool Circle, and by the guitarist Andy Taylor (ex-Duran Duran) on his album "Dangerous".

Usage in film and television

In Michael Moore's 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, the guitar line of the song is played once while the camera is showing George W. Bush's blacked-out medical records, a clear reference to allegations that Bush used cocaine, and suggesting evidence for this was blacked out of his medical records.^[3]

The song was featured in the 2004 movie Starsky & Hutch, during a montage sequence of cocaine trafficking. The song was also used in the 2005 movie Lord of War, during a scene concerning, fittingly, cocaine. The song is also played in the VH1 show The Drug Years when the show goes over cocaine use.

References

1. ^ The Best of Everything Show, with Dan Neer
2. ^ Stern magazine, Germany, 1998
3. ^ [1]