Love Is the Drug
Encyclopedia
"Love Is the Drug" is a 1975 single from Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...

 (cover shown is from the 1996 4-track Rollo & Sister Bliss remix single). Taken from the album Siren
Siren (Roxy Music album)
Siren is the fifth album by British rock band Roxy Music, released in 1975 .In 2003, the album was ranked number 371 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time...

it omits the gravel footstep sound effects at the start. A number two hit in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, it also gave the group its first substantial exposure in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, reaching number 30 in early 1976 on the US pop singles chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and doing even better on progressive rock radio
Progressive rock (radio format)
Progressive rock is a radio station programming format that prospered in the late 1960s and 1970s, in which the disc jockeys are given wide latitude in what they may play, similar to the freeform format but with the proviso that some kind of rock music is almost always what is played...

.

The song started as an Andy Mackay
Andy Mackay
Andrew "Andy" Mackay is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the art-rock group Roxy Music....

 instrumental, but then gained lyrics from Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...

; Ferry said the song came to him while he was walking and kicking the leaves in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...

.

"Love Is the Drug" is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It remains Roxy Music's highest-charting single in the US, while in the UK it was only topped by their 1981 version of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...

's "Jealous Guy
Jealous Guy
"Jealous Guy" is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. It is one of the most commonly covered Lennon songs, with at least ninety-two recorded cover versions, the most notable being Roxy Music's version, which reached number one in several...

". One of the most popular versions of the song with accompanying lyrics can be viewed on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci9jA_4O3GI

The unique bassline by John Gustafson became influential in music. In the DVD, 'More than this: the story of Roxy Music', Nile Rodgers of Chic states that 'Love is the drug' was a big influence as the bass timing is almost identical to the one in Chic's song, 'Good times'.

In the Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...

 tour documentary/film 101
101 (album)
-Disc one:A Side# "Pimpf" – 0:58# "Behind the Wheel" – 5:55# "Strangelove" – 4:49# "Something to Do" – 3:54# "Blasphemous Rumours" – 5:09B Side# "Stripped" – 6:45# "Somebody" – 4:34...

, lead vocalist Dave Gahan sings along to the song while playing a pinball machine.

Its b-side in most countries was "Sultanesque", a non-LP instrumental track written by Ferry, which is now available on the "The Thrill of It All
The Thrill of It All (box set)
The Thrill of It All is a 4-CD compilation box set by art rock band Roxy Music, released by Virgin in 1995 .All tracks written by Bryan Ferry except as noted.- Disc 1 :# "Re-Make/Re-Model" – 5:14...

" boxset.

The audio sample at the start of the single version is taken from the opening audio scene of "Duel", wherein Dennis Weaver is walking to the garage at his house, stepping into a 1972 Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

 Valiant
Valiant
- Vehicles :* Plymouth Valiant, automobile manufactured by the Plymouth division of Chrysler Corporation from 1960 to 1976* Chrysler Valiant, automobile manufactured by Chrysler Australia from 1962 to 1981...

, starting its Slant Six motor, and peeling out on gravel that's in the gutter in front of his house.

Personnel

  • Bryan Ferry
    Bryan Ferry
    Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...

    : Vocals and Piano
    Piano
    The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

  • Andy MacKay
    Andy Mackay
    Andrew "Andy" Mackay is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the art-rock group Roxy Music....

    : Oboe
    Oboe
    The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...

     and Saxophone
    Saxophone
    The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

     (and Treatments)
  • John Gustafson
    John Gustafson (musician)
    John "Gus" Gustafson also known as Johnny Gustafson is an influential bass player who has had a thirty eight year recording and live performance career...

    : Bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

  • Paul Thompson
    Paul Thompson (musician)
    Paul Thompson is the drummer for Roxy Music from 1971 to 1980 and from 2001 onwards.In between those stints with Roxy Music, he was drummer in the Oi! band, Angelic Upstarts and the American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde...

    : Drums and Timpani
    Timpani
    Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...

  • Phil Manzanera
    Phil Manzanera
    Phil Manzanera is a musician and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music. In 2006 Manzanera co-produced David Gilmour's album On An Island and played in Gilmour's band for tours in Europe and North America...

    : Electric Guitar
    Electric guitar
    An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...

     (and Treatments)
  • Eddie Jobson
    Eddie Jobson
    Edwin "Eddie" Jobson is an English keyboardist and violinist 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 Zappa's band in 1976-77...

    : Violin
    Violin
    The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

    , Synthesizer
    Synthesizer
    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

     and Keyboards

Grace Jones version

Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...

 recorded "Love Is the Drug" on her Warm Leatherette album from 1980 and the track was released as the second single following "A Rolling Stone
A Rolling Stone
"A Rolling Stone" is a song recorded by Grace Jones on her 1980 album Warm Leatherette, her first post-disco album. The track was released as the first single from the album in the U.K., but didn't garner much attention. It was quickly followed by "Love Is The Drug" and "Private Life"...

" in the UK while it was the first single to be released in Germany. After failing to chart in 1980, a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

 of the Grace Jones version was released in 1986 following the 1985 compilation Island Life
Island Life
Island Life was Grace Jones' 1985 compilation album, featuring songs from her Island Records albums Portfolio, Fame, Warm Leatherette, Nightclubbing, Living My Life, and Slave to the Rhythm. No tracks from Muse were included...

and then became a minor hit in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, peaking at #35.

Other cover versions

  • In 1993, Australian rock group, Divinyls
    Divinyls
    Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...

    , recorded a version for the Super Mario Bros.
    Super Mario Bros. (film)
    Super Mario Bros. is a 1993 American action film directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel. Based on the Super Mario Bros.video game and its entire franchise, the film features Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper and Samantha Mathis. It tells the story of the Mario brothers, Mario and...

    film soundtrack. The song also appeared on their compilation albums The Collection
    The Collection (Divinyls album)
    The Collection is a compilation album by Australian band Divinyls, released on 19 January 1994 .-Track listing:#"I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore"#"Lay Your Body Down" [New Version]#"Make Out Alright"...

    in 1994 and Make You Happy
    Make You Happy (Divinyls album)
    Make You Happy is a compilation album by Divinyls. It consists of material spanning from 1981-1993 including the hits "Boys in Town", "Science Fiction", "Pleasure and Pain and their number one signature song "I Touch Myself"....

    in 1997.
  • In 2001, Lisa Zane
    Lisa Zane
    Elizabeth Frances "Lisa" Zane is an American actress and singer who has starred on stage, in film and television.-Personal life:...

    , dressed as an Egyptian, snake-haired gorgon, covered the song in the 2001 film "Monkeybone
    Monkeybone
    Monkeybone is a 2001 American comedy film that combines live-action with stop-motion animation. It was based on Kaja Blackley's graphic novel Dark Town...

    ".
  • Kylie Minogue
    Kylie Minogue
    Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...

     recorded the track for the 2007 Radio 1. Established 1967 compilation album.
  • In 2010, The song is also performed by The Hot Rats
    The Hot Rats
    The Hotrats is a cover band formed by Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey as a side-project from their main band Supergrass. The band is named after Frank Zappa's album Hot Rats. The duo recorded a set of covers with producer Nigel Godrich for an album entitled Turn Ons in the vein of David Bowie's Pin...

     and released on their cover album, Turn Ons
    Turn Ons
    Turn Ons is a covers album by The Hotrats. It was released in the UK on 25 January 2010. The album has received generally favorable reviews since its release. It entered the US Heatseekers at number 40.-Track listing:...

    .
  • Ali Campbell
    Ali Campbell
    Ali Campbell, , is a British singer, solo artist and songwriter and was the lead singer and founding member of UB40. As part of UB40, Campbell sold over 70 million records world wide and toured the globe for 30 years. In 2008 Campbell left UB40 and embarked on a successful solo career.-Personal...

     covered the song on his 2010 album 'Great British Songs'.
  • Carla Gugino
    Carla Gugino
    Carla Gugino is an American actress known for her roles of Sally Jupiter in Watchmen, Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch, Lucille in Sin City, Amanda Daniels in seasons 3, 5 and 7 of Entourage, Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids film trilogy, and as the lead characters of the television series Karen Sisco...

     and Oscar Isaac
    Oscar Isaac
    -Personal life:Isaac was born in Guatemala to a Guatemalan mother, Maria Estrada Nicolle, and a Cuban pulmonologist father, Oscar Gonzalo Hernandez. He was raised in Miami, Florida. While in Miami, he played lead guitar and sang vocals for his band "The Blinking Underdogs"...

     covered this song in the movie Sucker Punch. The song is also included on the movie's soundtrack.
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