Cocaine (song)

Last updated
"Cocaine"
JJ Cale - Cocaine.jpg
German picture sleeve
Single by J. J. Cale
from the album Troubadour
A-side "Hey Baby"
Released1977
Genre Blues rock
Length2:48
Label Shelter
Songwriter(s) J. J. Cale
Producer(s) Audie Ashworth
Audio
"Cocaine" by J.J. Cale on YouTube

"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.

Contents

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

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 ambiguousthat 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

"Cocaine"
Cocaine cover.jpg
Dutch picture sleeve
Single by Eric Clapton
from the album Slowhand
A-side "Lay Down Sally"
ReleasedNovember 18, 1977 [7]
Genre Blues rock
Length3:41
Label Polydor
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
Chart (1980)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [12] 3
Netherlands (Dutch Tip 40) [13] 14
US Billboard Hot 100 [14] 30

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [15] Gold75,000^
Italy (FIMI) [16] Gold25,000
Netherlands (NVPI) [17] Platinum150,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [18] Silver200,000

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

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Troubadour</i> (J. J. Cale album) 1976 studio album by J. J. Cale

Troubadour is the fourth studio album by J. J. Cale. Eric Clapton covered the song "Cocaine" on his 1977 album Slowhand, turning it into one of his biggest hits.

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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.