Cocaine (song)

"Cocaine" is a song written and recorded in 1976 by singer-songwriter J. J. Cale. The song was popularized by Eric Clapton after his version was released on the 1977 album Slowhand. J. J. Cale's version of "Cocaine" was a number-one hit in New Zealand for a single week and became the seventh-best-selling single of 1977.

Not to be confused with Cocaine Blues.
"Cocaine"
German picture sleeve
Single by J. J. Cale
from the album Troubadour
A-side"Hey Baby"
Released1977
GenreBlues rock
Length2:48
LabelShelter
Songwriter(s)J. J. Cale
Producer(s)Audie Ashworth
Audio
"Cocaine" by J.J. Cale on YouTube

Charts
Chart (1977–1979) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[1] 45
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[2] 5
Germany (Official German Charts)[3] 22
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[4] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[5] 10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[6] 2

Eric Clapton version
"Cocaine"
Dutch picture sleeve
Single by Eric Clapton
from the album Slowhand
A-side"Lay Down Sally"
ReleasedNovember 18, 1977[7]
GenreBlues rock
Length3:41
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)J. J. Cale
Producer(s)Glyn Johns
Eric Clapton singles chronology
"Carnival"
(1977)		 "Cocaine"
(1977)		 "Wonderful Tonight"
(1978)
Audio
"Cocaine" by Eric Clapton on YouTube
Live video
"Cocaine" (2007 live) by Eric Clapton on YouTube
"Cocaine" (2015 live) by Eric Clapton on YouTube

Glyn Johns produced the Clapton recording, which was released on the 1977 album Slowhand. It was also released as the B-side for "Lay Down Sally".

A live version of "Cocaine" from the album Just One Night charted on the Billboard Hot 100 as the B-side of "Tulsa Time", which was a No. 30 hit in 1980. "Cocaine" was one of several of Cale's songs recorded by Clapton, including "After Midnight" and "Travelin' Light". AllMusic critic Richard Gilliam called it "among [Clapton's] most enduringly popular hits" and noted that "even for an artist like Clapton with a huge body of high-quality work, 'Cocaine' ranks among his best."[8]

Clapton described the song as an anti-drug song intended to warn listeners about cocaine's addictiveness and deadliness. He called the song "quite cleverly anti-cocaine", noting:[9]

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 actually, it is quite cleverly anti-cocaine.

Because of its ambiguous message, Clapton did not perform the song in many of his concerts; over the years, he has added the lyrics 'that dirty cocaine' in live shows to underline the anti-drug message of the song.[10][11] A live version of the song does appear on Clapton's 1982 hits compilation Time Pieces.

Charts
Chart (1980) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 3
Netherlands (Dutch Tip 40)[13] 14
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 30

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[15] Gold 75,000^
Italy (FIMI)[16] Gold 25,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[17] Platinum 150,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Silver 200,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  2. "J.J. Cale – Cocaine" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  3. "J.J. Cale – Cocaine" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  4. "J.J. Cale – Cocaine". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  5. "J.J. Cale – Cocaine". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  6. "J.J. Cale – Cocaine". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  7. "Eric Clapton - Lay Down Sally".
  8. Gilliam, Richard. "Eric Clapton – Cocaine – Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  9. The Best of Everything Show, with Dan Neer
  10. "Eric Clapton Rethinks Playing 'Cocaine'" (Press release). Fox News Channel. Associated Press. October 3, 2006. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  11. "Eric Clapton rethinks playing 'Cocaine'". Alcohol and Drugs History Society. October 5, 2006. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  12. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0234a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  13. "Tipparade-lijst van week 51, 1977". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  14. "Eric Clapton – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  15. "Canadian single certifications – Eric Clapton – Cocaine". Music Canada.
  16. "Italian single certifications – Eric Clapton – Cocaine" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Cocaine" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  17. Härtel, Alexander (1997). Platin Songs (in German). Berlin: Kupijai & Prochnow. pp. 12–17. ISBN 3-932051-46-7.
  18. "British single certifications – Eric Clapton – Cocaine". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
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