Season 291 - Drugs

uke4ia

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SEASON 291 : Drugs


I have no idea how this one will go, but it’s a major music theme we haven't done yet.

The popular music of the past 50 years has been heavily influenced by drugs. Many of the songs we love were written by musicians who were on drugs at the time, and may have found their inspiration in their altered state of mind. And many of the musicians we have loved were gone far too soon due to drugs. As music fans, our lives have been touched by the drug use of musicians we never met.

So this week, I want to hear:

• Songs about drugs
• Songs about the damage done by drugs
• Songs that use drugs as a metaphor for something else, like “I Want a New Drug”
• If you know any songs about medicinal drugs, those are okay, too. The only one I can think of offhand is Allan Sherman’s “Headaches” (“aspirin commercials give me headaches”). In fact, here’s a first line any of you J.J. Cale fans is welcome to expand on: “If you want to grow hair, on a head that is bare, Rogaine”.


What I don’t want to hear this week:

• Songs that aren’t about drugs, but the musician was on drugs when it was written. That would be way too easy. It would allow you just about any song from 1967 into the ‘80s.

• Songs where the drug is alcohol. We did that theme already, and will probably do it again.


There’s a long-standing myth that “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is about LSD. It was started by the same people who thought “OPD” meant that Paul was “officially pronounced dead”, and it’s not true. But if you insist on doing this song, I won’t ban it. Please try digging deeper, though. By the way, McCartney has said that "Got to Get You Into My Life" was a love song to marijuana.


As chance would have it, Sean (ukuleledaddy) did a podcast about drug songs just a week ago, so you can use that to give you some song ideas. I’ve posted the link. And with TCK’s encyclopedic knowledge of reggae, there just might be a song or two about weed he can suggest.

The Songs Stuck in My Head – Feeling High


It’s possible that drugs may be a triggering subject for someone. If this is the case for you, and you don’t feel you can bring yourself to do even an anti-drug song, please send me a PM and I’ll consider adding a secondary theme.


Rules:

• The video must be a new video recorded for this Season.
• The video must say that it is for the 291st Season of the Ukulele.
• Multitracking is okay, overdubs are okay. But I'm most interested in seeing you perform a song on the ukulele.
• Original songs are always welcome.
• Videos must be posted to this thread. But not before midnight tonight, Hawaiian time. (And remember, Season 290 still has a day to go.)
• The contest ends at midnight Hawaiian time on Sunday night, September 17.
NO MORE THAN THREE VIDEOS!
• Winners will be chosen randomly. I usually give t-shirts as prizes.



PLAYLIST
 
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This is a single by Sia a decade ago, when she was still relatively obscure. I post it because it's an example of a song someone could do this week, and because she was making great bizarro videos even then.


 
YES YES YES YES YES!!!! This has been a LONG time coming mate, and is going to be a boatload of fun. Eisley ain't gonna know what to do.
OK, I am just a little excited.
And thanks for the nod to the show mate- we appreciate it.
AND...yeah, I know a few songs about the reefer :)
 
I'm listening to the podcast right now, so I'll recognize the songs when they show up.
 
The trick here is not going to be in finding a song but in picking from the endless possibilities.
 
Such a dope theme, brah! \m/

Bring it! :music:
 
Greetings,

I got one or two. Sounds like fun if I can get the chords. Have fun all.

Ciao
 
Yes! Finally a chance to do a song I've been meaning to do for ages!

(This was also going to be my next theme so grrrr)
 
A ditty done for Season 291. :)



(Pictures from the internet)

Edit: Youtube messing things up again, video posted OK, now it's not showing. :confused:
Edit2: ...& now it is again. :mad:
 
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Here's a song by The Kills. Varying theories say this is a song is about giving up a drug or leaving a relationship. I imagine both are fairly similar feelings but the band have definitely dabbled so it's a drug song for me. Also one I've been meaning to do for ages.


 
You can blame TCK and Sean for this one too, Jim.
But from a different episode of the best damn radio podcast on the planet.
These two guys introduced us to the best songwriter we never knew.
Friends, Benjamin Tod.
"Yes, you are lucky people today" to quote our esteemed host.
[video]http://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/dlaurice/episodes/2017-08-09T22_18_46-07_00[/video]
 
This is a rough and ready one take, based on Keith Richard's version. I'd only just got up so my voice is suitably hoarse for the blues. In the absence of hard drugs about the house the accompanying sketch is of a box of aspirin instead. Rock n Roll, baby :cool:
 
Just jamming with different amp settings and this came out, another Rock 'n' Roll baby :)
 
This is one of three U2 songs that fit this season, I might also be doing Running to Stand Still, Wire is a challenge I'm not taking on ;-).


Last night, I Googled to check whether the lyric in "Dancing Barefoot" was "heroine" or "heroin". It was "heroine".
 
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