Allusions to Drugs in Music Trivia Quiz

Answer: K's Choice

K's Choice is a Belgian rock band that were formed in the mid 1990's. "Not An Addict" was undoubtedly their breakout single, and remains their most popular hit to date. "Not An Addict" came off their 1996 album, "Paradise In Me."

The song seems to take a "journey" through a possible drug addict's life; how many will generally start on the "softer" stuff, such as marijuana; become addicted to that, and then move on to the "heavier" stuff, such as morphine and heroin. It also clearly shows the denial that many drug addicts will go through before (and if) they eventually come clean.

Answer: "Burn One Down"

Ben Harper is an American musician who was born in California in 1969. His genres of music include Rock, Folk, Blues, Gospel and Reggae.

"Burn One Down" was first released on August 1st, 1995, and was off Harper's album "Fight For Your Mind."

What I like a lot about this song is that, if you are anti-drug and ignore the obvious drug connotations, it is also saying that he doesn't care about what others think of him, and saying that unless it's hurting you, you shouldn't be bothered about what others are doing. While I'm not advocating for you to go and smoke a joint, I reckon that the "your choice is who you choose to be, and if you're causin' no harm then you're alright with me" is a pretty good mantra to live by.

Answer: Weed

I would give "I'm Shady" a serious R-rating for some of the stuff it brings up in its lyrics.

"I'm Shady" came off Eminem's 1999 album "The Slim Shady LP."

It's in this section of the third verse where we hear about Eminem's drug experimentation:

"Well, I do take pills, don't do speed
Don't do crack (uh-uhh) don't do coke, I do smoke weed (uh-huh)"

I can't put the rest of the verse due to lyrical content and obscenities.

If Eminem's songs like "I'm Shady," "Drug Ballad" and "Under the Influence are anything to go by, then we can safely conclude that he is DEFINITELY no stranger to drugs. In 2001, Eminem was sentenced to a mandatory drug testing program, which seemed to stop his recreational drug use (interestingly enough, none of his songs made after 2001 seem to have any references to drugs at all). In 2005, Eminem entered rehab for treatment on what he describes as "dependency on sleep medication," after using Zolpidem sleeping pills for a couple of years.

Answer: All of these

All of the choices listed above are mentioned in the song "Rockstar" by Nickelback.

"Rockstar" comes off Nickelback's fifth studio album, "All The Right Reasons." It was released in August of 2006, and then eventually re-released in June of 2007. It's the fifth single off "All The Right Reasons."

Again, while this is not a purely drug-related song, it does have a couple of references to the part that drugs play in many rock star's lives. The song features many, many cliche ideas about the lives that rock stars lead.

The lines "drugs come cheap" and "everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial" have both been censored by MTV on the music video. Whether these lyrics are promoting drugs or poking fun at them remains a mystery.

Answer: Godsmack

"Voodoo" came off Godsmack's self-titled 1999 album "Godsmack." It was popularised through its usage on the MTV reality show "Fear."

Two of the verses that are repeated throughout the song are as follows:

"I'm not the one who's
So far away
When I feel the snakebite
Enter my veins

Never did I want to
Be here again
And I don't remember
Why I came"

While there is still debate as to exactly what the song's meaning is, many conclude that the "snakebite" entering someone's veins is a reference to heroin, and the next verse describes the sheer helplessness of addiction, in that many want to quit, but just can't. It's further interpreted that the heroin is like voodoo, in that it pulls you in and doesn't let you go.

Answer: Steal money from your daddy

"We Are All On Drugs" came off Weezer's 2005 album "Make Believe." It was subsequently "edited" by MTV into "We Are All In Love," which angered many of Weezer's fans, who felt that the original meaning of the song should have been stuck to.

The story behind "We Are All On Drugs" as told by lead singer Rivers Cuomo is taken from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_All_on_Drugs:

"I was living in an apartment above the Sunset Strip, and every Friday and Saturday night I'd hear people cruising and partying, and hooting and hollering. And I went to sleep one night and I heard those sounds all through the night, in my dreams. I had this dream about a kid on the Metro bus, blasting hip hop into his brain through his headphones. And the music sounded so decadent and overstimulating, and I woke up in the midst of that dream, in a haze, and immediately said to myself, 'Man, we're all on drugs!' And I instantly knew that would be a cool song."

Despite the somewhat dodgy lyrics, it remains a fairly successful song for Weezer.

Answer: Esther

"Heroin Girl" came off Everclear's 1995 album "Sparkle and Fade."

There is much debate as to whether the song "Heroin Girl" is about lead singer Art Alexakis's brother or girlfriend. When Alexakis was 12, his brother overdosed on heroin and died, and his mother heard the police refer to it as "just another overdose." Not too long after, Alexakis's girlfriend committed suicide (sources aren't clear as to whether her death was also heroin related). Incidentally, the line "just another overdose" is mentioned in the song.

Answer: Neil Young

"The Needle And The Damage Done" was written and first recorded by Neil Young, and came off his album "Harvest" in 1972. Interestingly, Young chose to record this song live instead of recording it in the studio, and you can hear a crowd clapping at the end of the song.

Neil wrote the song as a "tribute" to musicians who have developed a heroin addiction. It was written about Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten's heroin addiction (but before he overdosed and died). Neil Young and the band Crazy Horse often played concerts together.

Some bands that have covered the song include Seether, Green Day, Duran Duran and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Pathetic as it may make me sound, I cry every time I hear it. I think that it's truly a beautiful song, which brings to light the dangers of heroin addiction.

Answer: "Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth"

"Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth" comes off the Dandy Warhols 1997 album "... The Dandy Warhols Come Down."

This song is basically trashing and poking fun at the heroin chic fad; a popular mid 1990's fashion, characterised by pale skin, dark circles underneath the eyes, jutting bones; just a general "junkie" look. It was actually the basis of Calvin Klein's 1993 advertising campaign.

In "Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth," the Dandy Warhols basically say that they wouldn't know why anyone would be doing heroin, because the heroin chic look is "so passe," which they state repeatedly in their song.

Answer: John Melvoin from the Smashing Pumpkins

"Angel" came off Sarah McLachlan's 1997 album "Surfacing." "Angel" has remained to be an incredibly popular song, and receives lots of airplay even after such a long time since its release. It is often played to highlight tender moments in movies and television shows, and is also quite a popular song to be played at funerals.

I will admit. Initially, I was amazed when I first heard that this song was actually about heroin. But as you read through the lyrics, you begin to understand how it is. The heroin is referred to as an angel, because for so many people who have nothing constant and set in their lives (such as rock stars), drugs are the only thing that "release" them and give them comfort, by making them forget all their troubles.

On "VH1 Storytellers," Sarah McLachlan told the world how the song is about the late keyboard player from the Smashing Pumpkins, John Melvoin. Melvoin overdosed on heroin and died in 1996. Sarah explained that for him (and many other musicians), drugs are the only thing that is constant in their lives, and how you can understand how many people in those situations might turn to substance abuse.

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