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Songs about drugs have been the subject of debate and controversy for ages. There are songs about drugs in nearly every genre. A number of songwriters have explored both the fun and the horrors caused by drug use in their lyrics. The emotional trauma caused by drug abuse is a major theme in many of the songs on this list. That said, not every track below is so emotional.

The list below showcases a diverse number of songs associated with different aspects of drug use. If you have a story to tell, feel free to share it in the comments section.

Top 10 Best Songs About Drugs

1. “The A Team”—Ed Sheeran
2. “Semi-Charmed Life”—Third Eye Blind
3. “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”—The Beatles
4. “Sweet Morphine”—The Rolling Stones
5. “Cocaine”—J.J. Cale
6. “Mr. Brownstone”—Guns N’ Roses
7. “White Rabbit”—Jefferson Airplane
8. “Heroin”—The Velvet Underground
9. “The Needle and the Damage Done”—Neil Young
10. “Purple Pills”—D12

Psychedelic Rock in the ‘60s and ‘70s

Drug metaphors and references were common throughout the '60s and '70s. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, Psychedelic rock bands wrote theatrical songs that expressed both the mind-expanding and mind-destroying potential that drugs have on human consciousness. Psychedelic rock bands have written songs about all kinds of drugs, including heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, LSD, and cannabis.

Best Songs About Drugs #11—20

11. “Sweet Leaf”—Black Sabbath

12. “Beetlebum”—Blur

13. “Geek Stink Breath”—Green Day

14. “I Don’t Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)”—Marilyn Manson

15. “Dead Flowers”—The Rolling Stones

16. “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”—Mike Posner

17. “Habits (Stay High)”—Tove Lo

18. “Gold Dust Woman”—Fleetwood Mac

19. “Needle in the Hay”—Elliot Smith

20. “We Found Love”—Rihanna

Lyrics in Songs About Drugs

The musicians in this list have written powerful portrayals of drug use. These songs offer brutally honest accounts of how it feels when a person becomes a slave to the habit. Oftentimes, these lyrics explore the emotional pain that comes from how drugs can tear apart relationships. These truthful and confessional lyrics are often rooted in the artists' real-life experiences. A number of bands and artists have used their experiences to convey thoughtful messages of hope in their music. While the pain of drug abuse has destroyed many of these artists' relationships, their tales of recovery can help others see the light.

On a societal level, a number of drug-related songs have highlighted issues such as street violence, drug-peddling, self-harm, and peer pressure in a frank and honest manner. These songs use drugs as a symbol of economic inequality. Many of these songs are popular because they provoke protest, debate, and discussion.

Best Songs About Drugs #21—40

21. “Journey to the Center of the Mind”—Amboy Dukes

22. “And She Was”—Talking Heads

23. “Mother’s Little Helper”—The Rolling Stones

24. “Feel Good Hit of the Summer”—Queens of the Stone Age

25. “Can’t Feel My Face”—The Weeknd

26. “Got to Get You Into My Life”—The Beatles

27. “High by the Beach”—Lana Del Ray

28. “Drug Ballad”—Eminem

29. “Under the Bridge”—Red Hot Chili Peppers

30. “Bad”—U2

31. “The Pusher”—Steppenwolf

32. “Snowblind”—Black Sabbath

33. “The Drugs Don’t Work”—The Verve

34. “Just One Fix”—Ministry

35. “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”—Bob Dylan

36. “The Needle and the Spoon”—Lynyrd Skynyrd

37. “White Lines (Don’t Do It)”—Melle Mel

38. “Chop Suey”—System of a Down

39. “There She Goes”—The La’s

40. “Not If You Were the Last”—The Dandy Warhols

Messages in Songs About Drugs

Many of these songs contain dark themes, which are excessively popular with younger generations. While many of these songs rely on themes of depression, alienation, hopelessness, and suffering, that doesn't mean they lack a sense of hope. Although some people consider their lyrics to be controversial, songs that speak openly about the pain caused by substance abuse can help others cope with their loneliness.

Best Songs About Drugs #41—60

41. “Ten Crack Commandments”—The Notorious B.I.G.

42. “Itchycoo Park”—Small Faces

43. “Not An Addict”—K’s Choice

44. “Interstate Love Song”—Stone Temple Pilots

45. “She Talks to Angels”—The Black Crowes

46. “A Passage to Bangkok”—Rush

47. “Move That Dope”—Future (featuring Pharrell, Pusha T and Casino)

48. “Special K”—Placebo

49. “Kid Charlemagne”—Steely Dan

50. “Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing in Line for the Bathroom)”—N.E.R.D.

51. “Golden Brown”—The Stranglers

52. “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”—Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

53. “Loser”—3 Doors Down

54. “I Want a New Drug”—Huey Lewis

55. “Might Not”—Belly featuring The Weeknd

56. “Hits From the Bong”—Cypress Hill

57. “Krippy Kush”—Farruko, Bad Bunny and Rvssian

58. “Toy Soldiers”—Martika

59. “Gin and Juice”—Snoop Dogg

60. “Drugs or Me”—Jimmy Eat World

Songs About Recovery

A number of these songs deal with the hardships faced during recovery. Many singers and songwriters have talked about their struggles to maintain the willpower necessary to avoid relapsing. Many of these songs contain lyrics that describe the difficulties of rehab, and the pain of withdrawal.

Knowing that so many great artists succumb to drug abuse, some bands and artists have decided to convey anti-drug messages through their songs. Their lyrics often lament the many untimely deaths caused by overdosing. These lyrics are often rooted in real-life stories aimed at teaching kids to stay away from drugs.

Best Songs About Drugs #61—80

61. “Gorilla”—Bruno Mars

62. “Higher Than the Sun”—Primal Scream

63. “A Baltimore Love Thing”—50 Cent

64. “Drank & Drugs”—Lil’ Kleine and Ronnie Flex

65. “Bloodstream”—Ed Sheeran

66. “Mask Off”—Future

67. “Hurt”—Nine Inch Nails

68. “Dooo It!”—Miley Cyrus

69. “Lit Up”—Buckcherry

70. “30 Days in the Hole”—Humble Pie

71. “It's Not Living (If It's not With You)”—The 1975

72. “Dead Men Tell no Tales”—Motorhead

73. “Fall to Pieces”—Velvet Revolver

74. “Baby's Got a Temper”—The Prodigy

75. “Die Like a Rockstar”—Danny Brown

76. “Get Stoned”—Hinder

77. “A Little Work”—Fergie

78. “Kush”—Dr. Dre (featuring Snoop Dogg and Akon)

79. “True Faith”—New Order

80. “Fallen Leaves”—Billy Talent

Best Songs About Drugs #81—100

81. “Different Drugs”—Bloc Party

82. “One Way Ticket”—The Darkness

83. “Master of Puppets”—Metallica

84. “Here Comes the Nice”—Small Faces

85. “Kicks”—Paul Revere & the Raiders

86. “Angel”—Sarah McLachlan

87. “Brown Sugar”—D’Angelo

88. “Never Let Me Down Again”—Depeche Mode

89. “Motorhead”—Hawkwind

90. “Ganja Burn”—Nicki Minaj

91. “Kevin's Heart”—J. Cole

92. “No Excuses”—Alice in Chains

93. “Time to Pretend”—MGMT

94. “Lockjaw”—French Montana

95. “Flying High Again”—Ozzy Osbourne

96. “Narcos”—Migos

97. “A Very Cellular Song”—The Incredible String Band

98. “King of Everything”—Wiz Khalifa

99. “Hustlin'”—Rick Ross

100. “Do You Wanna Get High?”—Weezer

Other Notable Songs About Drugs

• “Mary Jane”—Rick James
• “Police in the Helicopter”—John Holt
• “I Got 5 on It”—Luniz
• “One Toke Over the Line”—Brewer & Shipley
• “How High”—Redman and Method Man
• “Defective Trip (Trippin)”—The Gravediggaz
• “Hand of Doom”—Black Sabbath
• “Get High”—Brandy Clark
• “LSD”—ASAP Rocky
• “Antidote”—Travis Scott
• “L.A. Love (La La)”—Fergie
• “Hymn”—Barclay James Harvest
• “Cocaine Blues”—Johnny Cash
• “Far Behind”—Candlebox
• “Pusherman”—Curtis Mayfield
• “Hoverin”—The Amps
• “Givin' Up”—The Darkness
• “No Flockin”—Kodak Black
• “Choke Me”—The Used
• “I Came to Believe”—Johnny Cash
• “Devil Pray”—Madonna
• “Lover Dearest”—Marianas Trench
• “Bake Sale”—Wiz Khalifa
• “American Storm”—Bob Seger
• “Mutilated Lips”—Ween
• “You”—Candlebox
• “Mabel Normand”—Stevie Nicks
• “Got to Give It Up”—Thin Lizzy
• “Needles”—System of a Down
• “Death by Misadventure”—Ted Nugent
• “Freeway”—Aimee Mann
• “Nosetalgia”—Pusha T (featuring Kendrick Lamar)
• “Mystery Disease”—MGMT
• “All Night Train”—The Allman Brothers
• “Mistress”—Disturbed
• “Chinese Rocks”—Johnny Thunders
• “Legalize It”—Peter Tosh
• “Go or Go Ahead”—Rufus Wainwright
• “Bagboy”—Pixies
• “King of the Junkies”—Stone Gossard
• “My Sweet Prince”—Placebo
• “Don't Forget Me”—Red Hot Chili Peppers
• “Nitrous Gas”—Frightened Rabbit
• “A Junkie’s Lament”—James Taylor
• “Looking at the World From the Bottom of a Well”—Mike Doughty
• “Night of the Living Baseheads”—Public Enemy
• “Chocolate”—The 1975
• “Magnolia”—Playboi Carti
• “Frequency”—Kid Cudi
• “American Storm”—Bob Seger

• “On the Mend”—Foo Fighters
• “Hold Back the Rain”—Duran Duran
• “Doobie Ashtray”—Devin the Dude
• “One More Spliff”—Ras Jamal
• “Faded by Design”—Melissa Etheridge
• “How Do You Keep Love Alive”—Ryan Adams
• “Opium Trail”—Thin Lizzy
• “Painkillers”—Cannibal Ox
• “Looking for a Kiss”—New York Dolls
• “I Serve the Base”—Future
• “No Diet”—Digga D
• “Doctor Robert”—The Beatles
• “Because I Got High”—Afroman
• “Gonna See My Friend”—Pearl Jam
• “Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth”—The Dandy Warhols
• “Fire It Up”—Disturbed
• “Highest in the Room”—Travis Scott
• “My Drug Buddy”—The Lemonheads
• “Lacquer Head”—Primus
• “The Noose”—A Perfect Circle
• “Weed With Willie”—Toby Keith
• “It's Working”—MGMT
• “King's Crossing”—Elliott Smith
• “No No Song”—Ringo Starr
• “Paris”—The Chainsmokers
• “I'm Waiting for the Man”—The Velvet Underground
• “Hateful”—The Clash
• “A Man of Great Promise”—The Style Council
• “Me and Mary Jane”—Black Stone Cherry
• “Party Drugs”—Jessica Lea Mayfield
• “Your Bright Baby Blues”—Jackson Browne
• “Mama's Gun”—Glass Animals
• “Suicide Messiah”—Black Label Society
• “One Foot Wrong”—Pink
• “Learn From This Mistake”—Down
• “Pretty on the Inside/Clouds”—Hole
• “Wire”—U2
• “Mr. Jack”—System of a Down
• “High Road”—Kesha
• “Everyone's at It”—Lily Allen
• “Mojo Pin”—Jeff Buckley
• “Put That Away and Talk to Me”—James Blake
• “Live by Night”—Daniel Merriweather
• “KK”—Wiz Khalifa
• “Wasted Time”—Skid Row
• “Sing in Silence”—Sonata Arctica
• “Paris”—The 1975
• “James Joint”—Rihanna
• “Pain”—Pusha T
• “Bagman”—Stone Temple Pilots

• “Electric Feel”—MGMT
• ‘Wave Motion Gun”—Marcy Playground
• “Keep Dealing”—Pusha T
• “Light Up”—Styx
• “Reason With Me”—Sinead O'Connor
• “Hardaway”—Derez DeShon
• “Truckers Atlas”—Modest Mouse
• “Poverty Train”—Laura Nyro
• “CoCo”—O.T. Genasis
• “Maria I'm Drunk”—Travis Scott (featuring Justin Bieber and Young Thug)
• “Didn't I”—Rod Stewart
• “Sink With You”—Underoath
• “Little Secret”—Black Country Communion
• “Meds”—Placebo
• “Ship of Fools”—The Doors
• “Miss You”—Alabama Shakes
• “Just Like Honey”—The Jesus and Mary Chain
• “I Feel Like Dying”—Lil Wayne
• “Panama Red”—New Riders of the Purple Sage
• “Molly”—Tyga
• “Gravedancer”—Velvet Revolver
• “Skills in Pills”—Lindemann
• “Kevin”—Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
• “Twisted”—50 Cent
• “Peephole”—System of a Down
• “High Hopes”—Sammy Hagar
• “Remorse Code”—Richard Hawley
• “All Falls Down”—California Breed
• “Too Late”—Journey
• “I Was Never There”—The Weeknd (featuring Gesaffelstein)
• “Heroin Addict Sister”—Elizabeth Cook
• “Remedy”—Seether
• “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight”—Genesis
• “Moment”—Aiden
• “Beauty and the Beast”—David Bowie
• “Laid to Rest”—Lamb of God
• “K Hole”—British Sea Power
• “Methademic”—Black Sabbath
• “First It Giveth”—Queens of the Stone Age
• “Immortal”—J. Cole
• “Poison Was the Cure”—Megadeth
• “My Brother Is a Basehead”—De La Soul
• “Sensimilla”—Joss Stone
• “Paralyzed”—Ted Nugent
• “Drug Dealer”—Macklemore (featuring Ariana DeBoo)
• “Exterminator”—Primal Scream
• “Sanctified”—Nine Inch Nails
• “Pull”—Blind Melon
• “Junkhead”—Alice in Chains
• “Weak and Powerless”—A Perfect Circle

• “Marijuana”—Kid Cudi
• “This Velvet Glove”—Red Hot Chili Peppers
• “Skyline To”—Frank Ocean
• “Pharsyde”—ASAP Rocky
• “Let You Down”—Seether
• “Happy With You”—Paul McCartney
• “The House Jack Built”—Metallica
• “Burn One Down”—Ben Harper
• “Father Lucifer”—Tori Amos
• “Medicine Jar”—Paul McCartney & Wings
• “Sativa”—Jhene Aiko (featuring Swae Lee)
• “Lighthouse”—Richie Sambora
• “Salvation”—The Cranberries
• “We Be Burnin'”—Sean Paul
• “Hello, My Name Is”—Matthew West
• “Influence”—Tove Lo (featuring Wiz Khalifa)
• “Hate to Feel”—Alice in Chains
• “True Faith”—New Order
• “Kush Coma”—Danny Brown
• “White Slavery”—Type O Negative
• “Chemicals”—Love and Death
• “Movin' Bass”—Rick Ross (featuring Jay Z)
• “Scandinavian Skies”—Billy Joel
• “Pissed Hot for Weed”—The Meatmen
• “Welcome to the Room... Sara”—Fleetwood Mac
• “Return to Oz”—Scissor Sisters
• “Daffodils”—Mark Ronson (featuring Kevin Parker)
• “Running to Stand Still”—U2
• “Hi Hi Hi”—Paul McCartney & Wings
• “Mary Jane Holland”—Lady Gaga
• “Gypsy Roadhog”—Slade
• “Slow Cheetah”—Red Hot Chili Peppers
• “Medicated”—Wiz Khalifa
• “Like a Rocket Man”—David Bowie
• “Karma Payment Plan”—Modest Mouse
• “Smokin' Rollin”—Juicy J
• “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)”—The First Edition
• “Playing in the Shadows”—Example
• “RUN”—Juice WRLD
• “Insult and an Elbow”—Yonder Mountain String Band
• “Might as Well Get Stoned”—Chris Stapleton
• “Wired”—Sevendust
• “Pure Stuff”—Jessica Lea Mayfield
• “Autopilot”—Queens of the Stone Age
• “Smoke a Little Smoke”—Eric Church
• “Lies”—Charred Walls of the Damned
• “Helmet in the Bush”—Korn
• “Snowchild”—The Weeknd
• “Morning Glory”—Oasis
• “Private Hell”—The Jam

© 2020 Ansel Pereira