"Love Is the Drug" is a 1975 song from English rock band

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...

's fifth

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'', released as a single in September 1975. Co-written by

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...

and Andy Mackay, the song originated as a slower, dreamier track until the band transformed its arrangement to become more dance-friendly and uptempo. Ferry's lyrics recount a man going out looking for action. The single was a commercial hit for the band, peaking at number two in the United Kingdom. It also gave the group its first substantial exposure in the United States, reaching number 30 in early 1976 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Since its release, the song has been hailed as an early influence on new wave and has been praised for its groove and bassline.

Background

Saxophonist Andy Mackay wrote the basic groove for the song in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in early 1975, explaining, "I came up with chords for an unusual song on my

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

electric piano. My chords had a distinctly English-y sound inspired by 20th century classical composers like

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

. They had a folk-harmony feel influenced by early church music." The band then collaborated to flesh out the song in the studio, with vocalist

and drummer Paul Thompson moving the song in a more

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

-oriented style. Mackay recalled: After hearing early versions of Mackay's chord progression, Ferry wrote the song's lyrics while at home in

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road ...

. He stated, "The image I had in mind for the song was a young guy getting into his car and zooming off into town, looking for action at a club". He cited a

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...

friend named Christian for inspiring the song's opening lyrics: "He worked for Roxy doing wardrobe. Christian was a very amusing, laid-back guy. If there was ever a problem, Christian would say, 'T'ain't no big t'ing.' I liked the phrase, so my opening lyrics to the song were:'' 'T'ain't no big thing / to wait for the bell to ring / T'ain't no big thing / the toll of the bell''.' Saxaphonist Andy Mackay credited producer Chris Thomas with helping the band perfect the song. He recounted, "Chris had a huge impact particularly on 'Love Is The Drug'. His confidence and ability to make us work really hard and redo parts was exceptional. I spent literally hours tracking the sax riffs on 'Love Is The Drug' when they sounded pretty much OK to me. Chris was of course right."

Release

"Love Is the Drug" was the band's choice for the debut single from their 1975 album ''

'': Mackay commented, "Like most hit singles, 'Love Is The Drug' kind of selected itself and always sounded like something special." The song was a commercial smash for the band, reaching number two in the UK and reaching the top twenty in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Australia. It also reached number 30 in the US, making it the band's highest charting single there. The band had struggled previously to make inroads in the US, with Mackay lamenting, "North America had been hard for us. We were seen there as an art-rock band." Though the band did not film a music video for "Love Is the Drug", they did mime the song for a television appearance in 1975. Ferry wore an

eye patch An eyepatch is a small patch that is worn in front of one eye. It may be a cloth patch attached around the head by an elastic band or by a string, an adhesive bandage, or a plastic device which is clipped to a pair of glasses. It is often worn ...

for the appearance, albeit not for aesthetic reasons. He recalled:

Critical reception and legacy

The song saw positive reception upon its release, with ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' writing that "city lyrics intertwined with the imagery of the dance floor make for a clever song" and that the "driving bass gets a

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

on the listener." Since then, "Love Is the Drug" has seen critical acclaim and many music writers point to the song as being a progenitor of future new wave and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

sounds. Dave Thompson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

concluded, "Indeed, peel away the radio-pleasing buoyancy which is the song's immediate calling card and 'Love Is the Drug' is as grimly unrelenting as any past Roxy attack -- as taut as it is tight, as sordid as it is sensual.

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The gang ...

Public Image Ltd. Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...

, and

the Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...

can all trace at least a soupçon of their future funkiness to 'Love Is the Drug,' as can Roxy themselves." In 2019, Marc Myers of ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' characterized the song, with "its pulsating bass line and swaggering croon", as "the swaggering love song that launched new wave". "Love Is the Drug" was selected as one of

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

. Its bassline was included in the 2005 ''

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'' list of the "Top 50 Basslines of All Time" at number 26. ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

'' praised Gustafson's bassline as a "memorable groove".

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...

has since stated that the bassline was a major influence on his band

's song, "

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

Charts

¹Remix

Personnel

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

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* Andy Mackay –

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

* Paul Thompson –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Phil Manzanera Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801, and Quiet Sun. ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Eddie Jobson Edwin "Eddie" Jobson (born 28 April 1955) is an English musician noted for his use of synthesizers. He has been a member of several progressive rock bands, including Curved Air, Roxy Music, U.K. and Jethro Tull. He was also part of Frank Zap ...

–

synthesizers A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

, keyboards * John Gustafson – bass

Grace Jones version

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

recorded "Love Is the Drug" for her ''

Warm Leatherette "Warm Leatherette" is a song by Daniel Miller's project the Normal, released in 1978. The Normal original Overview The lyrics of "Warm Leatherette" reference J. G. Ballard's controversial 1973 novel ''Crash'', which had heavily influenced Dani ...

'' album from 1980. The track was released as the second single, following "

A Rolling Stone "A Rolling Stone" is a 1980 single by Jamaican singer Grace Jones. Background The song was recorded for Jones' 1980 album '' Warm Leatherette'', her first post-disco album, and was released as the first single from the album in the UK. It did not ...

" in the UK while it was the first single to be released in Germany. After failing to chart in 1980, a

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

of the Grace Jones version was released in 1986 following the 1985 compilation ''

Island Life ''Island Life'' is a compilation album by Grace Jones, released in December 1985, summing up the first nine years of her musical career. The album sits among Jones' best-selling works. Production and release After the major commercial success ...

'' and then became a minor hit in the UK, peaking at No. 35.

Music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was produced for the 1986 remix and directed by Matt Forrest and Bruno Tilley. Ferry has since spoken positively of Jones' version, commenting, "I really liked Grace Jones's 'Love Is the Drug' cover, produced by the great

Alex Sadkin Alex Sadkin (April 9, 1949July 25, 1987) was an American record producer, engineer, mixer and mastering engineer. Sadkin grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida across the street from Bennett Elementary School, and played saxophone in Sunrise Junio ...

– she gave it such attitude."

Track listing

*7" single (1980) :A. "Love Is the Drug" – 4:40 :B. "Sinning" – 4:10 *12" single (1980) :A. "Love Is the Drug" – 8:40 :B. "Sinning" – 4:10 *12" single (1981) :A. "Love Is the Drug" – 7:15 :B. " Demolition Man" – 4:04 *UK 7" single (1986) :A. "Love Is the Drug" – 3:21 :B. "

Living My Life ''Living My Life'' is the autobiography of Lithuanian-born anarchist Emma Goldman, who became internationally renowned as an activist based in the United States. It was published in two volumes in 1931 (Alfred A. Knopf) and 1934 (Garden City Publ ...

" – 5:28 *EU 7" single (1986) :A. "Love Is the Drug" – 3:42 :B. "Living My Life" – 3:58 *12" single (1986) :A. "Love Is the Drug" – 6:57 :B1. "Living My Life" – 5:28 :B2. "

The Apple Stretching "The Apple Stretching" is a song by American recording artist Grace Jones, released as a single in 1982. Background "The Apple Stretching" was written by Melvin Van Peebles for his 1982 play '' Waltz of the Stork''. The song describes New York Ci ...

" – 6:55

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 1975 songs 1975 singles 1980 singles Roxy Music songs Divinyls songs Grace Jones songs Songs written by Bryan Ferry Songs written by Andy Mackay Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) E.G. Records singles Island Records singles Progressive pop songs Funk songs