The 100 Greatest Drug Songs Ever
Back in December 2002, MOJO magazine compiled a list of the 100 Greatest Drug Songs Ever. Six years ago today, GLONO published an Open Letter to the Music Director of Mojo Magazine’s Mix CDs, essentially thanking them for the CD included with that issue, Feed Your Head: 16 Mind-Blowing Classics, which contained tracks by the Small Faces, Funkadelic, Chris Bell, Sebadoh, et al.
After the jump, you’ll find the complete list as well as the tracklist of the CD. The question for you is: What are the best drug songs released since 2002? I nominate MGMT‘s “Time to Pretend.”
MOJO’s 100 Greatest Drug Songs Ever
Thanks to ilxor for typing out the list back in 2002.
100. Afroman: “Because I Got High” (Universal, 2001)
99. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore: “The L.S. Bumble Bee” (Decca, 1967)
98. Brewer & Shipley: “One Toke Over the Line” (Kama Sutra, 1971)
97. Wink: “Higher State of Consciousness” (Strictly Rhythm, 1995)
96. Syd Barrett: “If It’s in You” (Harvest, 1970)
95. Cab Calloway: “Reefer Man” (Brunswick, 1932)
94. King Hannibal: “The Truth Shall Make You Free” (Aware, 1972)
93. Fred Neil: “Sweet Cocaine” (Capitol, 1967)
92. The Doors: “The Crystal Ship” (ELektra, 1967)
91. James Brown: “King Heroin” (Polydor, 1972)
90. Husker Du: “Pink Turns to Blue” (SST, 1984)
89. Townes Van Zandt: “Waitin’ Around to Die” (Poppy, 1968)
88. Fingers Inc.: “Mystery of Love” (Alleviated, 1985)
87. The Creation: “How Does It Feel to Feel” (Polydor, 1968)
86. Donovan: “Hurdy Gurdy Man” (Pye, 1968)
85. The Chemical Brothers: “The Private Psychedelic Reel” (Virgin, 1997)
84. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: “Ah Feel Like Ahcid” (Blue Thumb, 1968)
83. Steppenwolf: “The Pusher” (Stateside, 1968)
82. Bob Dylan: “Desolation Row (Live)” (Sheffield, May 1966) [from Genuine 1966 Live bootleg]
81. The Count Five: “Psychotic Reaction” (Double Shot, 1966)
80. Queens of the Stone Age: “Feel Good Hit of the Summer” (Interscope, 2000)
79. The Beach Boys: “Good Vibrations” (Capitol, 1966)
78. The Other Half: “Mr. Pharmacist” (GNP Crescendo, 1968)
77. The Stranglers: “Golden Brown” (Liberty, 1981)
76. Underworld: “Born Slippy” (Junior Boys Own, 1995)
75. Billy Boy Arnold: “Whiskey, Beer & Reefer” and “Sunday Morning Blues” (Alligator, 1993 and 1995) and
74. The Temptations: “Psychedelic Shack” (Tamla, 1970)
73. The Dramatics: “The Devil is Dope” (Stax, 1973)
72. Spacemen 3: “Walkin’ with Jesus” (Glass, 1986)
71. Pulp: “Sorted for E’s & Wizz” (Island, 1995)
70. The Rolling Stones: “Mother’s Little Helper” (Decca, 1966)
69. The Flamin’ Groovies: “Slow Death” (United Artists, 1972)
68. Pink Floyd: “Astronomy Domine” (Columbia, 1967)
67. Eric Burdon & the Animals: “A Girl Named Sandoz” (MGM, 1967)
66. Etta James: “I’d Rather Go Blind” (Chess, 1967)
65. The Orb: “Little Fluffy Clouds” (Big Life, 1990)
64. Traffic: “Hole in My Shoe” (Island, 1967)
63. Empirion: “Narcotic Influence” (Wanted/XL, 1994)
62. The Holy Modal Rounders: “If You Want to Be a Bird a.k.a. Bird Song” (Elektra, 1968)
61. Primal Scream: “Loaded” (Creation, 1991)
60. Bomb the Bass: “Bug Powder Dust” (Stoned Heights/Island, 1995)
59. KRS-One: “I Can’t Wake Up” (Jive, 1993)
58. Bert Jansch: “Needle of Death” (Transatlantic, 1965)
57. The Fall: “Totally Wired” (Rough Trade, 1980)
56. Roland Stone: “Junco Partner/Preachers Daughter” (Ace, 1961)
55. The Allman Brothers Band: “Whipping Post” (Capricorn, 1969)
54. The Only Ones: “Another Girl, Another Planet” (CBS, 1978)
53. Rick James: “Mary Jane” (Motown, 1978)
52. Louis Armstrong: “Muggles” (OKeh, 1929)
51. Kenny Rogers & the First Edition: “Just Stopped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In)” (Reprise, 1967)
50. Flowered Up: “Weekender” (Heavenly, 1991)
49. The Third Bardo: “Lose Your Mind” (Sundazed, 1967) [EP]
48. Ella Fitzgerald w/Chick Webb & His Orchestra: “Wacky Dust” (Decca, 1938)
47. MC5: “Rocket Reducer no. 62″ (Elektra, 1969)
46. Phil Phillips “Sea of Love” and “The Evil Dope” (Khoury’s/Mercury, 1959 and Lanor, 1972) and
45. Country Joe & the Fish: “Bass Strings” (Vanguard, 1967)
44. Funkadelic: “Maggot Brain” (Westbound, 1971)
43. My Bloody Valentine: Glider EP (Creation, 1990)
42. 13th Floor Elevators: “Roller Coaster” (International Artists, 1966)
41. Black Sabbath: “Sweet Leaf” (Vertigo, 1971)
40. Happy Mondays: “Do It Better” (Factory, 1988)
39. Tim Hardin: “Red Balloon” (Verve-Forecast, 1967)
38. David Essex: “Rock on” (CBS, 1973)
37. Arlo Guthrie: “Coming into Los Angeles” (Reprise, 1969)
36. Oasis: “Morning Glory” (Creation, 1995)
35. The Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Purple Haze” (Track, 1967)
34. Rodriguez: “Sugarman” (Sussex, 1970)
33. David Peel & the Lower East Side: “I Like Marijuana” (Elektra, 1968)
32. The Heartbreakers: “Chinese Rocks” (Track, 1977)
31. The Beatles: “Rain” (Parlophone, 1966)
30. Lemonheads: “My Drug Buddy” (Atlantic, 1992)
29. The Temptations: “Cloud Nine” (Motown, 1968)
28. The Byrds: “Artificial Energy” (CBS, 1968)
27. The Velvet Underground: “I’m Waiting for the Man” (Verve, 1967)
26. John Prine: “Sam Stone” (Atlantic, 1971)
25. The Grateful Dead: “Dark Star” (Warner Bros., 1969) [Live/Dead version]
24. The Beatles: “Got to Get You Into My Life” (Parlophone, 1966)
23. Country Joe & the Fish: “Section 43″ (Rag Baby, 1966) [EP]
22. The Charlatans: “Codine Blues” (Big Beat, rec. 1966/rel. 1996)
21. Electric Prunes: “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)” (Reprise, 1966)
20. The Smoke: “My Friend Jack” (Columbia, 1967)
19. Curtis Mayfield: “Pusherman” (Curtom, 1972)
18. The Amboy Dukes: “Journey to the Center of the Mind” (Mainstream, 1968)
17. Ramones: “Carbona Not Glue” (Sire, 1977)
16. Ry Cooder/Buffy Sainte-Marie: “The Hashishin” (Warner Bros., 1970)
15. Bob Dylan: “Rainy Day Women no. 12 & 35″ (CBS, 1966)
14. Fats Waller: “The Reefer Song” (V-Disc, 1943)
13. The Byrds: “Eight Miles High” (CBS, 1966)
12. Harry “the Hipster” Gibson: “Who Put the Benzedrine in Mrs. Murphy’s Ovaltine?” (Musicraft, 1944)
11. Neil Young: “The Needle and the Damage Done” (Reprise, 1972)
10. Plastic Ono Band: “Cold Turkey” (Apple, 1969)
9. Primal Scream: “Higher Than the Sun” (Creation, 1991)
8. Love: “Signed D.C.” (Elektra, 1966)
7. Dillinger: “Cokane in My Brain” (Channel One, 1976)
6. Grandmaster & Melle Mel: “White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)” (Sugarhill, 1983)
5. The Small Faces: “Here Comes the Nice” (Immediate, 1967)
4. Rolling Stones: “Sister Morphine” (Rolling Stones, 1971)
3. The Velvet Underground: “Heroin” (Verve, 1967)
2. The Beatles: “Tomorrow Never Knows” (Parlophone, 1966)
1. Jefferson Airplane: “White Rabbit” (RCA, 1967)
Feed Your Head: 16 Mind-Blowing Classics
1. The Dramatics: “The Devil is Dope”
2. The Sonics: “Strychnine”
3. Nat Adderley: “Quit It”
4. The Small Faces: “Here Comes the Nice”
5. Dillinger: “Cocaine in My Brain”
6. Donovan: “Sunny Goodge Street”
7. Country Joe & the Fish: “Bass Strings”
8. The Pretty Things: “Defecting Grey”
9. The Flaming Groovies: “Slow Death”
10. Chris Bell: “I am the Cosmos”
11. Grandmaster Flash: “White Lines”
12. Sebadoh: “Too Pure”
13. The Mighty Hannibal: “The Truth Shall Make You Free”
14. James Booker: “Junco Partner”
15. Funkadelic: “Maggot Brain”
16. Harry the Hipster Gibson: “Who Put the Benzadrine”
MP3: Spacemen 3 – “Walking With Jesus” (single version) (courtesy of the Finest Kiss)
Luke Powers
1267 days ago
The Velvet’s “Heroin” pretty much set the bar for drugs songs (i.e., songs that offer a “virtual” high). Too many songs on the list seem like anti-drug songs (“Needle and the Damage Done”)–when there are plenty of other Neil songs that offer a glimpse of the high (from “Sugar Mountain” to “C’mon Baby Let’s Go Downtown”). And “Desolation Row” is a bad trip compared to “Mr Tambourine Man.” I’d glad to see Chris Bell but what about Big Star? A number of songs from the first three albums can go drug-for-drug with “I am the Cosmos.” And Syd Barrett’s “Octopus” or one of the early Pink Floyd songs like “Astronomy Domine” or even “The Gnome” get at the psychedelic dissociation better than anything the all too obvious Doors or Jefferson Airplane had to offer. As for Beatles: “Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields” is the epitome of drug consciousness in song. I’d also place “Dead Flowers” above “Sister Morphine”–not to mention pretty much every other song on Exile on Main St. “Mother’s Little Helper” is a wimpish choice at best. Who made these selections? Nancy Reagan? And is my brain addled, but does David Peel make the list and not Bob Marley? You better hope a Duppy Conqueror won’t be coming after you. What you talkin’ ’bout, Willis?
Jake
1266 days ago
What’s the first song on Kid A? That one always makes me feel freaky…
Todd Totale
1266 days ago
Post ’02:
L’il Wayne-”Me And My Drank”
Clipse-”Keys Open Doors”
Deerhunter-”Wash Off”
Black Lips-”I Saw A Ghost (Lean)”
Chicago Greg
1262 days ago
This list is a joke, RIGHT!?!?! Only ONE Syd Barrett song when he was w/ Floyd!?! One solo song. Why isn’t “See Emily Play” on here?!?! Anyone ever hear of the MOVE??? I’ll send you all a quarter so you can buy a freaking clue…DEPLORABLE!!!
carlos
1138 days ago
You are wrong in one GIANT omission.
The Beatles may claim otherwise but HEY JUDE( ah-jud) is ARABIC for heroin!!
So please ‘let it in and begin to make it better.”
Now will you get the list right by adding hey Jude?
SamuraiMaster
1108 days ago
Metallica’s Master of Puppets?
Clapton’s Cocaine?
THis list sucks
mike
1041 days ago
def leppard, from the inside?
yes master of puppets
mr tambourine man?
weak sauce people
realprivate
1031 days ago
You forgot MAGIC CARPET RIDE
Argentino
1022 days ago
People, I want to share with you songs from the best band here in Argentina. “Patricio rey y sus redonditos de ricota”, that’s the complete name, also known as “Los redondos”.
I’ll put some of the songs I like most, specially about cocaine, to follow the subject, but some are not:
-Negrita
-JIJIJI
-Vencedores vencidos
-Yo canibal
-Mi genio amor
-Tarea fina
-Juguetes perdidos
-Salando las heridas
-Ñam fri fruli fali fru
-Mariposa pontiac
-Nadie es perfecto
-Yo no me cai del cielo
-Todo un palo
You won’t regret downoading this songs. The ideas in the lyrics are very filosofical and also very very difficult to understand, even to spanish speakers.
Kix
922 days ago
A few glaring omissions: Guns ‘n Roses – Mr Brownstone; Bowie’s Space Oddity and China Girl. China Girl was written by Iggy Pop about his favourite brand of heroin – China White.
Adam
863 days ago
two massive ones missed for me here;
lou reed- perfect day
beatles – lucy in the sky with diamonds
and my favourite, but not in the same style,
the shamen – ebeneezer goode
Liz
860 days ago
Justin timberlake
(although horridly overplayed by todays musically challenged teenagers)
has a song called ‘losing my way’ which i like – and believe me, i hate to say i like a justin timberlake song
dude whees my song???
836 days ago
i once heard a song like 10 years ago i think it was by tom petty about that went over all the girls he knew and thedrugs they did and why it ddnt work out …
such as i once knew a girl she did cocain but she was ….. for me…
the first gilr drank too much Jack
the second smoked POT
the next did cocain…
want o get the song but i dont know who sang it or what the name is… can some one help me????
Hugh
773 days ago
Comfortably numb. Where is it? I may have overlooked it because I just did a quick scan but surely that has to be on there somewhere.
JJR
771 days ago
Glen Fry – Smugglers Blues
CSN – Treetop Pilot
at least they got Grandmaster!
Alasar
767 days ago
I miss “used to get high” from the John Butler Trio, great song ’bout getting high.
Especially the first line is epic: “Used to get high for a living, believing everything that is saw on my tv”
tyler
334 days ago
you all got it wrong alic in chains junkhead … hello greatsest
RachelJ
300 days ago
My Top 10!
Honorable Mentions: Rehab – Amy Winehouse, White Lines – Grandmaster Flash, Smuggler’s Blues – Glen Frey
10) Hits from the Bong – Cypress Hill
Cocaine – Eric Clapton
9) Mary Jane – Rick James
7) She Talks to Angels – Black Crowes
6) Mr. Brownstone – Guns N’ Roses
5) Brick – Ben Folds Five
4) Lucy in the Sky – The Beatles
3) Holy Diver – Dio
2) Master of Puppets – Master of Puppets
1) Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
RachelJ
300 days ago
Master of Puppets is by ~Metallica~. oops LOL
GBC
298 days ago
No Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd or Passage to Bangkok by Rush makes this list a big pile of fail.
KT
298 days ago
The Best from ’02 & on:
1. rehab – amy winehouse
2. im on everything – bad meets evil
3. space ship – benny benassi
4. purple pills – D12
5. Kush – dr dre, eminem, akon
6. these drugs – eminem
7. get em high – kanye west
8. everyones at it – lily allen
9. I get high – lloyd banks
10. blueberry yum yum – ludacris
11. how high – method man & redman
12. bomb intro/pass the dutch – missy elliot
13. 4 my people – missy elliot
14. high as a kite – nicki minaj
15. army’s on ecstacy – oysterhead
16. how to roll a blunt – redman
17. sensimillia – slightly stoopid
18. above the clouds – slightly stoopid
19. fat spliffs – slightly stoopid
20. this joint – slightly stoopid
21. everything you need – slightly stoopid
22. officer – slightly stoopid
23. stay fly – three 6 mafia
24. fire – twista
25. hash pipe – weezer
and i could name about 3 dozen more songs that would’ve been better suited for your list than some listed above! you guys should’ve done your homework better!!!
Cho Chi
279 days ago
Where is Tom Petty’s Last Dance with Mary Jane? Or Clapton’s Cocaine? Steppenwolfs “The Pusherman”?
Frankie
216 days ago
What about Down in a Hole- Alice in Chains??
Nicki
195 days ago
K’s Choice– Iam not a addict
WHAT!?!?!?!
185 days ago
Where are The Doors songs?
1. The End
2. The Crystal Ship
3. Light My Fire
4. Tell All The People
5. Five to One
6. Waiting For The Sun
just to name a few………..
marley
167 days ago
Don’t forget Mad Season ~ Wake Up.
sHOBHIT BHATNAGAR
161 days ago
where are the “Brown sugar” by The Rolling stones
i think its lyrics tell so many things about drugs
T om Hoy
150 days ago
You missed out
MOTLEY CRUE – Dr Feelgood and RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS – Under the bridge
T om Hoy
150 days ago
also missed out MOTLEY CRUE – White Punks on Dope
T om Hoy
150 days ago
Oh Yeah and NIRVANA – Lithium
Bobber
145 days ago
This list definitely sucks. Clapton’s Cocaine should be number one not even on the list?!?!!? WTF Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, yes, this list SUX.
christina perri
143 days ago
I agree with the others, where’s Comfortably Numb? And I’m still having a hard time understanding why Afroman’s “Because I Got High” is on any kind of great song list.
Chase
122 days ago
This list is a joke. Hello ?
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds – The Beatles
Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles
Revolution 9 – The Beatles
A Day in the Life – The Beatles
Strange People – The Doors
Glass Onion – The Beatles
Just to name a few
Drugs! Yeh!
96 days ago
Strawberry fields isnt about drugs – never was – it was about a childrens home in Liverpool – check your facts
A day in the life wasnt about drugs either
some people should keep things to themselves until they have all the facts in hand
möweemma
69 days ago
ganjababe – michael franti
so beautiful.
tops it all!
cHASE mckibbin
31 days ago
Kickstart my heart- motley crue. he says he gets high on speed in the first verse.
oviously shoulda been on there. and to think cocaine eric clapton wasnt on that list is a disgrace.
carolyn
27 days ago
Not one song from RHCP or Janes Addiction!?
Matt daniel
12 days ago
Wow noone said anything bout sugar ray i just wanna fly
patrickm
9 days ago
this list is shit, no elliott smith, the biggest lie, needle in the hay, ridiculous
Derek Phillips
9 days ago
Of course, you’re free to make your own lists. And even post them here!