"30 Days in the Hole" is a song by English rock band

Humble Pie Humble Pie are an English rock band formed by guitarist and singer Steve Marriott in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first supergroups of the late 1960s and found success in the early 1970s with songs such as " Black Cof ...

. Released in late 1972, it was composed by the band's guitarist/singer Steve Marriott for the group's fifth album '' Smokin''' (1972). The song received minor airplay at the time but failed to chart. However, it gained a following on album oriented rock (AOR) and

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

radio formats and consequently it remains one of Humble Pie's best known songs. The B-side on its US release was "Sweet Peace and Time", while everywhere else the B-side featured "

C'mon Everybody "C'mon Everybody" is a 1958 song by Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart, originally released as a B-side. Background When Cochran recorded his lead vocal for the song, he also created an alternate version of the song called "Let's Get Together". ...

" and "Road Runner". The song, a Steve Marriott composition, bemoans being arrested for possession of small quantities of illegal drugs, including

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

; Durban poison, a potent strain of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

; and Red Lebanese and Black Nepalese, two types of

hashish Hashish ( ar, حشيش, ()), also known as hash, "dry herb, hay" is a drug made by compressing and processing parts of the cannabis plant, typically focusing on flowering buds (female flowers) containing the most trichomes. European Monitorin ...

. "New Castle Brown" is often mistaken as a reference to

Newcastle Brown Ale Newcastle Brown Ale is a brown ale, originally brewed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Launched in 1927 by Colonel Jim Porter after three years of development, the 1960 merger of Newcastle Breweries with Scottish Brewers afforded the beer natio ...

but actually refers to

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

also known as "Brown" or "Smack". Pie guitarist Clem Clempson has said it is one of the tracks he would most like his career to be remembered by. But the predominant group personality shown through by the song is Marriott's; so much so that when years later Clempson was asked about efforts to reform the group without Marriott, he simply declaimed, "It's a waste of time."

Live versions

Marriott regularly played the song in the 1980s with his band Packet Of Three (with Jim Leverton and

Jerry Shirley Jerry Shirley (born 4 February 1952) is an English rock drummer, best known as a member of the band Humble Pie, appearing on all their albums. He is also known for his work with Fastway, Joey Molland from Badfinger, Alexis Korner, Billy Nicholl ...

). The song was included in a 1984 concert at Dingwalls released as a live album two years later and a 1985 televised concert at the Camden Palace posthumously released on DVD and CD.

Cover versions

In the years since, "30 Days" has been recorded by several artists, most notably

Gov't Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''Mule''. ...

, Mr. Big, Ace Frehley,

The Black Crowes The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer Geo ...

, Kick Axe, and

The Dead Daisies The Dead Daisies are an Australian-American rock supergroup and collective formed in 2012 in Sydney, Australia by David Lowy. Musicians that have joined Lowy for the project have included Richard Fortus (Guns N' Roses), Jon Stevens (INXS, Nois ...

, and is a live staple of Canadian rock band The Trews.

In other media

The song was featured on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC versions of ''

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

'', on the in-game radio station

Los Santos Rock Radio The music for the 2013 Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game ''Grand Theft Auto V'', developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games, was composed by The Alchemist (record producer), The Alchemist, Oh No (musician), Oh No ...

. It was also the intro music to the "Tin Can Rehab" edition of Doug Stanhope's podcast.

Personnel

Humble Pie

* Steve Marriott - vocals, guitar, harmonica, electric piano * Clem Clempson - guitar, backing vocals *

Greg Ridley Alfred Gregory Ridley (23 October 1941 – 19 November 2003) was an English bassist who was the bassist and a founding member of the rock band Humble Pie and Spooky Tooth. Career Ridley was born in Carlisle, Cumberland, England. Early in h ...

- bass, backing vocals *

- drums

References

External links

Humble Pie.netSong facts
1972 singles Humble Pie (band) songs Songs written by Steve Marriott Songs about cannabis Songs about drugs Songs about heroin 1972 songs A&M Records singles {{1970s-single-stub