1001 Songs Challenge #765: My Drug Buddy (1992)

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenging of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post everyday (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be…

 

The Lemonheads – My Drug Buddy (1992)

 

 

We’re finally leaving California after a long stay, dear reader, and making our way over to Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1986 The Lemonheads were led by Evan Dando and specialised in punk rock and alternative rock. When we join them in 1992 it is with their fifth album – It’s a Shame About Ray – and from there 1001 Songs have gone with the track, My Drug Buddy.

In My Drug Buddy, Evan Dando takes on a narrator who describes a friend they have with a common interest being narcotics. The narrator takes a stroll with his friend who actually sounds like a girlfriend. They make for a telephone booth to arrange their latest fix and are pleased to hear that there are further supplies of a recent drug acquisition. The song captures a carefree day between two lovers, lost in their drug high and in one another’s company, the rest of the world barely making a dent in their shared experience. 

I don’t know many songs by The Lemonheads but have heard of the album, It’s a Shame About Ray, as well as their cover version of Simon and Garfunkel’s Mrs Robinson. My Drug Buddy is an interesting rock piece, describing a mundane and seemingly uninteresting day but one that still means a great deal to the narrator. The group went on hiatus in 1997 and reformed in 2005 where they continue to perform in the present day.

 

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

The Doors – The End (1967)

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Ultravox – Vienna (1980)

The Smiths – How Soon Is Now? (1984)

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)

U2 – One (1991)