10 Popular Songs That Are Surprisingly About Drugs

Nothing is better than a good love song or an upbeat summer hit, but sometimes those songs’ meanings can be quite deceiving. There is an endless supply of popular songs that are clearly about drugs, but some are not quite so obvious. From artists like Ed Sheeran to TLC, these artists have released music that is surprisingly about drugs such as heroine, weed, and meth. Here is a list of ten popular songs that are surprisingly about drugs.

Related: Top 10 Crazy Things Police Mistook For Drugs

10 “Bad”—U2

The song “Bad” was listed on U2’s The Unforgettable Fire album from 1984, and the song became a staple of their live set performances. During the Live Aid concert in 1985, the band performed “Bad”, and it turned into a 12-minute-long performance where Bono jumped into the crowd and danced with a girl in the audience. Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the best moments of the concert, and it turned into one of their biggest hits. However, the song is surprisingly about heroin addiction.

Members of U2 are from Dublin, Ireland, and at the time, the city was dealing with a serious heroin addiction. It is believed that the song was written about one of Bono’s friends who died from an overdose, but there have been other versions of the story, too. Bono once claimed that the song was about a drug that was tearing the heart out of the city of Dublin. The verses of the song seem desperate while the chorus is triumphant. While it is a song about addiction, personal struggle, and heroin, it is also one of the most important songs from U2.^[1]

9 “Can’t Feel My Face”—The Weeknd

The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” was one of the hottest songs of the summer in 2015 with its catchy lyrics and intoxicating beats. Many people believed that it’s a love song, but the song is actually about cocaine. The song appears to be using the idea of drug dependency and comparing it to being in a bad relationship.

The lyrics “I can’t feel my face when I’m with you, But I love it,” does sound like someone deeply in love, but some of the other lyrics reveal that “she’ll be the death of me” and “she always gets the best of me, the worst is yet to come.” These lyrics start to reveal something darker and more sinister, like drugs. The Weeknd successfully created a chart-topping hit about getting so messed up on drugs that he literally can’t feel his face.^[2]

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

In 1966, The Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life” reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified gold. Paul McCartney was the main composer of the hit song and contributed vocally. The song could be considered a love song with lyrics like “Did I tell you I need you, every single day of my life,” but the song has somewhat of a surprise meaning.

In an interview with Uncut Magazine, McCartney said that the song was directly about pot, even though most people missed it at the time. He also confirmed that drugs influenced many of the group’s songs. The ode to pot was written when he was first introduced to marijuana, so it’s still kind of a love song… just about pot.^[3]

7 “Gold Dust Woman”—Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac’s song “Gold Dust Woman” was the eleventh track on their eleventh album, Rumours, released in 1977. Stevie Nicks wrote the song about life in the rock and roll scene. She talked about how the scene was heavy and intense, and sometimes you needed something to help you through the hard times. “Gold Dust” simply refers to cocaine. Nicks was trying to balance her life as an artist while also dealing with drugs and her breakup with Lindsey Buckingham.

The song was symbolic of somebody going through a bad relationship, doing a lot of drugs, and just trying to get through life. Nicks says she hasn’t done cocaine since 1986, but she described her life as tiring, and cocaine helped her through the tough times. Sometimes, you have to do what you have to do. Rock on, Gold Dust Woman.^[4]

6 “There She Goes”—The La’s

There’s a good chance you’ve sung the lyrics to The La’s “There She Goes” without noticing the real meaning. The lyrics “There she goes again, racing through my brain,” sound like a guy singing about how crazy he is about a girl, but it’s not that simple. Later in the song, the lyrics say, “There she blows again, pulsing through my vein,” and then suddenly you realize it’s about drugs.

The song was written by lead singer Lee Mavers, and it reached the number 13 spot on the UK charts. “There She Goes” is believed to be an ode to drugs, especially heroin. He did admit to once having a heroin addiction, but he never confirmed that the song was about the drug. If the song was indeed about heroin, it showed how addicting and mind-altering the drug can be.^[5]

5 “Semi-Charmed Life”—Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” comes across as an excellent summer track with upbeat music, but there is a much deeper interpretation once you dive into the lyrics. Frontman Stephan Jenkins wrote the hit song, which was their lead single from their debut album. The song peaked at the number 4 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 43 weeks on the list. The song sounds so upbeat and full of “doo doo doo’s,” but the song is about drugs.

Jenkins was surprised that the song became such a hit on the radio, and he told Billboard in 1997, “It’s a dirty, filthy song about snorting speed and getting blow jobs.” The lyrics clearly point to these things, but are masked by the upbeat music. Who would have guessed that one of the more popular songs from the nineties was actually about a man and woman strung out on a crystal meth binge. Don’t focus too much on the lyrics though and just keep powering through those “doo doo doo’s.”^[6]

4 “And She Was”—Talking Heads

In 1985, the song “And She Was” by Talking Heads reached the number 17 spot on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 54 on the Billboard 100. David Byrne said he wrote the song about a girl he once knew while growing up in the Baltimore area, who would take LSD in a field next to a Yoo-Hoo drink factory.

Although the song was technically about drugs, it can also be seen as an emotional or spiritual experience. The dreamy song describes the woman’s journey as she disconnects from reality and has an out-of-body experience. It can be seen as a celebration of the woman’s self-discovery and her ability to achieve the extraordinary.^[7]

3 “The A Team”—Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran isn’t notorious for writing and singing songs about drugs, but “The A Team” was surprisingly about them. Many might believe that the song is about love that was lost, but the true meaning is about homelessness and drug addiction. The song draws a picture of a homeless prostitute who dies in the end from an overdose. Sheeran once did a gig at a homeless shelter early in his career, and he was inspired to write the song from a girl he met while there.

The lyrics describe the woman as “weary-eyed, dry throat” and “face seems slowly sinking, wasting, crumbling like pastries.” The girl’s name was Angel in real life, which inspired the lines “for angels to fly.” The song peaked at number 16 on Billboard Hot 100 charts in the U.S., and it reached the top 5 on UK charts.^[8]

2 “Waterfalls”—TLC

TLC’s “Waterfalls” was simply about a man and woman’s relationship, right? Well, the lyrics point to something much deeper and disturbing. “Don’t go chasing waterfalls” is more of a cautionary message against engaging in risky behaviors. The song was a huge hit, spending seven weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The lyrics hit serious issues such as the HIV crisis and drug-related violence.

The first verse focuses on a man who resorts to unorthodox ways to make money, and his greed eventually leads to his death. This verse focuses on drug-related violence and can be seen when the song says, “So he goes out and makes money the best way he knows how, Another body lying cold in the gutter.” The second verse hits on the HIV/AIDs crisis when it says, “Three letters took him to his final resting place.” It’s best not to go chasing waterfalls, just “stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to.”^[9]

1 “Brown Sugar”—D’Angelo

D’Angelo appears to be singing about a dark-skinned woman that he has love for in “Brown Sugar,” but he is really singing about his love for weed. The song can teach about love and emotion, as it can be a soundtrack to that innocent glance from a potential lover. Still, it’s really just an ode to marijuana. The caramel skin and cocoa eyes aren’t human references in the song, but instead they refer to the appearance of his blunt.

He also cleverly compares kissing a girl to inhaling the smoke and his enjoyment of weed to having a physical altercation with a woman. “Brown Sugar, babe, I get high off your love” can clearly be seen both ways once you know the true meaning. The song continues to treat a drug addiction like a sexual attraction to a woman, and D’Angelo must really love his weed.^[10]