+ scroll down for Cocaine by Eric Clapton – studio and live versions
Single:
Cocaine entered the Australian singles chart* on 20 March 1978 and peaked at #45.
Album:
The song is on Troubadour which entered the Australian albums chart* on 11 October 1976 and peaked at #36.
Songwriter:
JJ Cale
Producer:
Audie Ashworth
Record label of Australian release:
Shelter
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
BONUS CLIPS BELOW – studio and live versions by Eric Clapton
Songfacts:
Cocaine was written and originally recorded by the Oklahoma blues guitarist JJ Cale.
Eric Clapton gave Cale a huge boost when he recorded Cale’s song After Midnight in 1970 and released it as his first solo single. This helped earn Cale a record deal and enough money to make music on his terms, which he did.
Cale recorded Cocaine on his fourth album, Troubadour, released in 1976.
When Clapton was looking for songs for his Slowhand album, he once again looked to Cale, and chose Cocaine, which became the first song on the set.
The lyrics are about drug addiction, something that Clapton knew quite well.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/eric-clapton/cocaine
Lyrics:
If you want to hang out, you’ve gotta take her out, cocaine
If you want to get down, get down on the ground, cocaine
She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie
Cocaine
That dirty cocaine
Click for full lyrics
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
BONUS CLIPS
Eric Clapton released a version of Cocaine on his album Slowhand which entered the Kent Music Report album charts on 21 November 1977 and peaked at #46.
Eric Clapton Cocaine – from Eric Clapton: Live at the Royal Albert Hall concert film:
Cocaine by JJ Cale is also on our Spotify playlists Bang a Gong – the 70s and Bang a Gong – rockin’ the 60s & 70s
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
New to Bang a Gong? Click HERE to learn more about us.