I Want a New Drug
Encyclopedia
"I Want a New Drug" is a song by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News
from their third album Sports. It was released as the second single from the album, following the top-ten hit "Heart and Soul" in January 1984. The single reached number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
and topped the Dance Club Play
chart.
When the similarities between this song and the theme song
of the 1984 film Ghostbusters
were heard, Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. for plagiarism, claiming that Parker had stolen the melody from "I Want a New Drug". Lewis had been approached to compose the main theme song for the film, but had to decline because of his work on the soundtrack for Back to the Future
. The suit was eventually settled out of court, but because of 'GhostBusters' performance on the charts, either version could be construed as Lewis's first #1 single (as opposed to The Power of Love).
The video echoes the song's origin, with Lewis waking up late, remembering he has a concert that night, and races across San Francisco using his yellow convertible, a public ferry, and a chartered helicopter to get to the concert on time, sighting a girl twice on his way, and finding her in the front row at the concert(the same girl is featured in the video for Heart and Soul
.). The video features Huey's most famous outfit, a red sport jacket & pants with a plain black t-shirt and matching sunglasses(the man who takes the jacket and shades off Huey before he goes on stage is the band's manager, Bob Brown
).
12" Chrysalis / CHS 12 2776 United Kingdom
12" Chrysalis / CS 42779 Canada
7" Chrysalis / CHS 42766 Canada
12" Chrysalis / 601 194 Germany
12" Chrysalis / 601 343 Germany
The song was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic
as "I Want a New Duck
" on his 1985 album, Dare to be Stupid
.
The song was covered and retitled "I Need a New Drug" by Central Services on their 2005 EP Forever Frozen In Television Time. The production duo consists of independent hip hop artists EL-P and Camu Tao
.
Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually scoring a total of 19 top-ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts...
from their third album Sports. It was released as the second single from the album, following the top-ten hit "Heart and Soul" in January 1984. The single reached number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
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 topped the Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart.
History
According to Lewis, he wrote the song in only a few minutes. "I just woke up one morning after a long party and just wrote NEW DRUG. I was on the way to my attorney's house and I thought of it in the car. I pulled up and walked in. I said, 'Bob, give me a piece of paper, I've got to write this down'."When the similarities between this song and the theme song
Ghostbusters (song)
"Ghostbusters" is a 1984 song recorded by Ray Parker, Jr. as the theme to the film of the same name starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11 in 1984, and stayed there for three weeks...
of the 1984 film Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
were heard, Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. for plagiarism, claiming that Parker had stolen the melody from "I Want a New Drug". Lewis had been approached to compose the main theme song for the film, but had to decline because of his work on the soundtrack for Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
. The suit was eventually settled out of court, but because of 'GhostBusters' performance on the charts, either version could be construed as Lewis's first #1 single (as opposed to The Power of Love).
The video echoes the song's origin, with Lewis waking up late, remembering he has a concert that night, and races across San Francisco using his yellow convertible, a public ferry, and a chartered helicopter to get to the concert on time, sighting a girl twice on his way, and finding her in the front row at the concert(the same girl is featured in the video for Heart and Soul
Heart and Soul (Huey Lewis and the News song)
"Heart and Soul" is a song written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn and made famous by Huey Lewis and the News. The song was first recorded by Exile in 1981 as the title track of their album Heart & Soul. Exile's single was unsuccessful, bubbling under the Billboard Hot 100 at number 102...
.). The video features Huey's most famous outfit, a red sport jacket & pants with a plain black t-shirt and matching sunglasses(the man who takes the jacket and shades off Huey before he goes on stage is the band's manager, Bob Brown
Bob Brown (disambiguation)
Bob Brown is the name of:*Bob Brown , former Australian Labor Party politician*Bob Brown , American baseball pitcher for the Boston Braves...
).
Track listing
7" Chrysalis / CHS 2776 United KingdomUnited 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...
- "I Want a New Drug" – 3:29 unlabelled 7" mix
- "Finally Found a Home" – 3:48
12" Chrysalis / CHS 12 2776 United Kingdom
- "I Want a New Drug (Called Love)" (12" mix) – 5:32
- "I Want a New Drug (Called Love)" (7" mix) – 3:29
- "Heart and Soul" – 3:55
- "(Tattoo) Giving It All Up for Love" (Phil LynottPhil LynottPhilip Parris "Phil" Lynott was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy....
) – 3:11
12" Chrysalis / CS 42779 Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- "I Want a New Drug" (dance mix) – 5:32
- "I Want a New Drug" (instrumental) – 4:30
7" Chrysalis / CHS 42766 Canada
- "I Want a New Drug" - 3:29
- "Finally Found a Home" - 3:42
12" Chrysalis / 601 194 Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- "I Want a New Drug" (extended version) – 5:32
- "Heart and Soul" (special remix) – 6:42
- "Tell Me a Little Lie" – 4:08
12" Chrysalis / 601 343 Germany
- "I Want a New Drug (Called Love)" (maxi mix) – 5:32
- "I Want a New Drug (Called Love)" (simple mix) – 3:29
- "(Tattoo) Giving It All Up for Love" – 3:11
- "Honky Tonk Blues" (Hank Williams) – 3:16
Chart performance
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 27 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 6 |
| German Singles Chart | 27 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 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... |
6 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Dance Club Play | 1 |
Cover versions
The song has been covered by:- Asleep at the WheelAsleep at the WheelAsleep at the Wheel is a American country music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, but based in Austin, Texas. Altogether, they have won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception. In their career, they have released more than twenty studio albums, and have charted more than twenty...
on their 1987 album 10 - Elio e le Storie TeseElio e le Storie TeseElio e le Storie Tese , often abbreviated EelST, is an Italian band from Milan, formed in 1980, whose music is clearly inspired to the style of Frank Zappa, both in music and lyrics...
on their 1998 album PeerlaPeerlaPeerla is the a studio album by Italian rock band Elio e le storie tese composed mainly of previously unreleased tracks, like the various opening themes for Italian television program Mai dire Gol, and studio outtakes... - Glen PhillipsGlen PhillipsGlen Phillips is a songwriter, lyricist, singer and guitarist. He is best known as the singer and songwriter of 1990s alternative rock group Toad the Wet Sprocket.-Personal life:...
on his 2006 album, Mr. LemonsMr. LemonsMr. Lemons is the third full-length album by singer/songwriter Glen Phillips. It was released in May 2006 and features a cover of the Huey Lewis and the News hit, "I Want a New Drug".... - The GreenskeepersThe GreenskeepersGreenskeepers are an alternative rock/indie rock band from Chicago. One of their most notable tracks is the cult hit "Lotion", a song that pays homage to Buffalo Bill, the fictitious serial killer featured in the 1991 film, The Silence of the Lambs...
on their 2006 album, Polo Club
The song was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
as "I Want a New Duck
I Want a New Duck
"I Want a New Duck" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis and the News.The lyrics note the traits – some reasonable, some absurd – that the singer wants in his new duck.-Track listing:...
" on his 1985 album, Dare to be Stupid
Dare to Be Stupid
Dare to Be Stupid is the third studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1985. The album was one of many produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer...
.
The song was covered and retitled "I Need a New Drug" by Central Services on their 2005 EP Forever Frozen In Television Time. The production duo consists of independent hip hop artists EL-P and Camu Tao
Camu Tao
Camu Tao was an American rapper and producer who was signed to the Definitive Jux label. He was a member of several groups: S.A...
.
External links
- "I Want a New Drug" video on VH1 ClassicVH1 ClassicVH1 Classic is a television network, launched on May 8, 2000. It is operated as part of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom and primarily features music videos and concert footage from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, though it formerly included a wider range of genres and time periods...
website