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The 10 best songs about cocaine

Don't do it — just listen to these songs about it.
Image: Cocaine on a flat surface.
Drugs are bad, mmkay? acidpix/CC BY 2.0/Flickr
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Disclaimer: I've never actually snorted cocaine, so I'm going to assume that Chuck Klosterman's description of it in "Killing Yourself to Live" is accurate: "It makes you feel like you're walking down the street — minding your own business — and the smartest, most attractive person you've ever met suddenly jumps out from behind a bush and gives you a compliment."

On the flipside: "Cocaine culture contains the worst of everything: the worst conversations, the worst friendships and the worst kind of unspeakable joy." I could quote some more, but you really should just buy the book and read it yourself.

So, without further ado, here are 10 songs about cocaine.

‘Cocaine,’ Eric Clapton

"If you wanna get down, down on the ground, cocaine."
Admit it, when you saw that we were posting a list about cocaine, this chorus immediately popped into your head. I'll give credit where credit is due, and point out that the song was originally written by JJ Cale, and believe it or not, it's an anti-cocaine song.

‘Can't You Hear Me Knockin,’ The Rolling Stones

"Yeah, you got satin shoes / Yeah, you got plastic boots / Y'all got cocaine eyes / Yeah, you got speed-freak jive"
Most of Sticky Fingers is about drug use and it's arguably some of The Stones' greatest work. Coincidence? I think not.

‘My Michelle,’ Guns N’ Roses

"So you stay out late at night / And you do your coke for free / Drivin' your friends crazy / With your life's insanity"
Appetite for Destruction has a similar story to Sticky Fingers. "My Michelle" was written about a friend of the band who has since cleaned up her act, but had quite the, umm, interesting life in the '80s.

‘Lit Up,’ Buckcherry

"And yes I'm all, lit up again, flying / I love the cocaine, I love the cocaine"
Drinking game: Take a shot every time Josh Todd says "cocaine" in this video. On second thought, please don't. We don't want to encourage blackouts.

‘Snowblind,’ Black Sabbath

"Feeling happy in my vein / Icicles are in my brain (cocaine)"
Just look at Ozzy in this video.

‘Cocaine Blues,’ Johnny Cash

"Got up next mornin' and I grabbed that gun / Took a shot of cocaine and away I run / Made a good run but I run too slow / They overtook me down in Juarez, Mexico.
Here's The Man in Black singing about cocaine in Folsom freakin' Prison. Does it get any cooler than that? I didn't think so.

‘Bales of Cocaine,’ Reverend Horton Heat

"So I loaded up them bales in my pick-em-up truck / Headed west for Dallas, where I would try my luck / I didn't have a notion if I could sell 'em there / But, 30 minutes later, I was a millionaire"
This song gives farmers hope that a low-flying plane will dump some blow on their property.

‘Rest My Chemistry,’ Interpol

"I haven't slept for two days / I've bathed in nothing but sweat / And I've made hallways scenes for things to regret."
Klosterman calls Interpol a "semi-shitty" Brooklyn band, but they do have some experiences with coke, including some pretty awful withdrawals.

‘White Lines,’ Grandmaster Flash

"My white lines go a long way / Either up your nose or through your vein / With nothin' to gain except killin' your brain"
Apparently, cocaine is super addictive, so if you're considering doing a line, take some advice from Melle Mel (and maybe dance instead).

‘Crack Rock Steady,’ Choking Victim

"Crack rock steady! / Are you ready to stop the rotten blue menace? / Let's go kill us a cop."
There are plenty of songs about cocaine, but what about crack? Apparently being high on crack makes people want to kill cops.


Editor's Note: This story originally published on Aug. 3, 2012, and was updated for publication on July 30, 2024.