“Cocaine” is a song composed and performed by musician, singer and guitarist JJCale in 1976 for his album “Trobadour” and, a year later, covered and popularized by Eric Clapton, including it on his fifth solo studio album “Slowhand”.

Clapton’s version quickly reached number one in New Zealand and charted very high across Europe, also peaking at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it is not the only song that Eric Clapton covered by JJ Cale, as others like “After Midnight” or “Travelin’ Light” were also composed by the musician from Oklahoma and turned into great hits by the English guitarist.

The song speaks openly about drugs (cocaine) and the negative effect it can have on those who consume them. JJCale refers to her several times as if she were a person (“She don´t lie…”) and it is a clearly anti-drug lyric although it has been misunderstood more than once, a fact that both JJCale and Clapton have denied in multiple occasions, the latter even adding the phrase “That dirty cocaine” to the lyrics of his live concerts.

Personnel:
– Eric Clapton: Vocals and lead guitar.
– George Terry: Rhythm guitar.
– Carl Radle: Bass.
– Jamie Oldaker: Drums.