Music and Heroin...Musicians Whose Addictions Influenced Their Art
Submitted by podizz on Thu, 11/20/2008 - 06:17
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- Bradley Nowell (Pool Shark)--
- Tying off that dinosaur tonight
- It used to be so cool
- Now I've got the needle
- I can shake
- But I can't bleed
- Take it away, but I want more and more
- One day I'm gonna loose the war
- Layne Staley (Junkhead)
- Keith Richards (Coming Down Again)
- Lou Reed (Heroin)
- Dee Dee Ramone
- John Lennon (Cold Turkey)
- Slash and Izzy Stradlin (Mr. Brownstone)
- --We been dancin' with
- Mr. Brownstone
- He's been knockin'
- He won't leave me alone
- I used ta do a little but a little wouldn't do
- So the little got more and more
- I just keep tryin' ta get a little better
- Said a little better than before
- Anthony Kiedis and Hilel Slovak (Under the Bridge)
- --(Under the bridge downtown)
- Is where I drew some blood
- (Under the bridge downtown)
- I could not get enough
- (Under the bridge downtown)
- Forgot about my love
- (Under the bridge downtown)
- I gave my life away
- Nikki Sixx (Dancing on Glass)
- --Need one more rush
- Then I know, I know I'll stop
- One extra push
- Last trip to the top
- Downtown, downtown
- Silver spoon and needle
- Witchy tombstone smile
- I'm no puppet
- I engrave my veins with style
- Boy George (You Are My Heroin)
- Miles Davis
- Kurt Cobain
- Elliot Smith (King's Crossing)
- --It's Christmas time
- And the needles on the tree
- A skinny Santa is bringing something to me
- His voice is overwhelming
- But his speech is slurred
- And I only understand every other word
- Open your parachute and grab your gun
- Falling down like an omen, a setting sun
- Read the part and return at five
- It's a hell of a role if you can keep it alive
- But I don't care if I fuck up
- I'm going on a date
- With a rich white lady
- Ain't life great?
- Trent Reznor (Hurt)
- --The needle tears a hole
- The old familiar sting
- Try to kill it all away
- But I remember everything
- Neil Young written about Crazy Horse guitarist
- Danny Whitten (The Needle and the Damage Done)
- --I hit the city and I lost my band
- I watched the needle take another man
- Gone, gone, the damage done.
- I sing the song because I love the man
- I know that some of you don't understand
- Milk-blood to keep from running out.
- I've seen the needle and the damage done
- A little part of it in everyone
- But every junkie's like a settin' sun.
- Shannon Hoon
- Scott Weiland
- Dave Matthews
- Sly Stone
- The La's (There She Goes)
- James Taylor (Fire and Rain)
- The Stanglers (Golden Brown)
- Savoy Brown (Needle and Spoon)
- note: Contrary to popular belief, 'Comfortably Numb' by Pink Floyd does not deal with heroin use.
Jim Morrison
Nico
John Cale
Jim Morrison? - i know he died from a heroin overdose, but did he ever write about it?
Mick Jagger - "Brown Sugar" & "Sister Morphine" for at least two songs.
Iggy Pop - "My Girl Hates My Heroin" i am sure there are others.
Butthole Surfers - "Mexican Caravan" - i do not know if they used heroin because they made such a stir about LSD, but they probably used a lot of things. and with this song Gibby wrote the lyrics, or most of them, and Paul probably did whatever Gibby did, and visa versa.
and i am sure there are many others.
is this a list about artists whose heroin use was prevalent during their career, or at least their "productive" part, or artists that feature heroin in their art? if it is the former then there are Jazz artists to add.
what about LSD users? that list which would include the downfall of Syd Barrett, Brian Wilson, Alexander 'Skip' Spence...and others who were influenced like Hendrix, the Beatles, Doors, Butthole Surfers...artists in the late 60's, and revivalists in the 80's and 90's.
do the drugs actually have an effect on the creation of the art? would the artist have ceased to be an artist or simply not as great without the drugs? Royal Trux say that their heroin use had no effect on the creation of the songs on Twin Infinitives and others, but that they used it as a litmus test for quality control...does that count?
Break On Through is a reference to heroin.
Break on Through is NOT a reference to heroin...it is a reference to a William Blake quote of which Jim Morrison based much of his philosophy on life and the name 'The Doors' on. "When the doors of perception are cleansed, man will see things as they truly are, infinite." Morrison is calling on people to break on through the confines of normal everday human perception to the realization of the true power and beauty of the world...
Yes but don't you think he may have been referring to breaking these doors down through drug use?
that might be one of the pathways, as might be sex, music, spirituality or general outlook and lifestyle. You can't say this song is "about heroin use."
Ideally, I'd like this list to be famous addicts and the specific work that is evidence of their addiction. However, several people on this list don't have a song in parenthesis either because I can't at the moment recall the correct song (which I am working on completing), or though no specific song of their addiction exists it is exceedingly clear that heroin addiction significantly influenced their body of work.
Lets stick to heroin use for this one. LSD use can be for another list...
Steve Earle.
That's quite a list, it's also good music. Somebody told me once that it's better to just let an artist abuse drugs because he can make real art out from his misery. I strongly disagree, a real artist can make art using his clear mind, what's the point of using drugs??
It is terrible that so many amazing musicians turn to drugs, and dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroin , i mean some really have a genius talent and end up dead due to overdoses , i would force them into treatment for a few months or years rather then watch them destroy themselves
Darby Crash, man. His spectacular excess of alcohol, heroin and anything else he could get his hands on really created the Germs' whole sound.