10 songs about medication

A lot of songs are about illicit drugs, but far fewer are about medication. When popular music approaches the subject of medication, it usually expresses skepticism for medicine's efficacy or celebrates the recreational use and abuse of medication. 

Some brand-name drugs in particular seem to inspire songwriters. Prozac is the subject of songs by MXPX, Vanilla Ice, Five Foot Thick, and others. Valium is mentioned in numerous songs. The generic drug name morphine was adopted as the name of a band. 

Along similar lines as these songs about medication, Music Weird previously compiled songs from the early '50s about Hadacol, a notorious snake-oil remedy. Most of those songs are humorous ones that joke about the recreational use of Hadacol, which had a high alcohol content.

Without further ado, here are 10+ pill poppin', syrup sippin' songs about medication.


1. Ray Stevens – "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills"

This was Ray Stevens' first hit, reaching the Top 40 in 1961. It holds the record for having the second-longest song title ever to appear on the Billboard chart. (Really, I consider it to have the longest title, because the record for the longest title is held by the "Stars on 45" medley, which isn't the same kind of title—it's just a long list of songs.)

2. Rolling Stones – "Mother's Little Helper"

A song about a wife and mother who uses Valium to get through the day. 

3. Loretta Lynn – "The Pill"

A song about birth-control pills. 

 

4. D12 – "Purple Pills"

This song contains a list of various narcotics and medications, including Valium. A heavily censored "clean" version titled "Purple Hills" was also released. 

5. Lil Wyte – "Oxy Cotton"

This song is like The Pill Book set to music. Lots of name-brand pharmaceuticals are mentioned in this song about the recreational abuse of prescription and illicit drugs.

 
6. New York Dolls – "Pills"

In which a rock and roll nurse administers pills and injections that only make things worse. 

 
7. The Moles – "Tendrils and Paracetamol"

Paracetamol is the name for acetaminophen outside the US and Japan.

8. Lil' Wayne – "Pill Poppin' Animal"

Discusses pill popping and cough-syrup sipping in general but doesn't name any brands. 

 

9. Pink – "Just Like a Pill" (2001)

Mentions morphine and compares an ex-lover to bad medication.  

 

10. Soulja Boy's "Too Juiced Up," Future's "Dirty Sprite," and Three 6 Mafia's "Sippin' on Some Syrup" 

Three songs about "dirty Sprite" (also known as lean or purple drank), which is a cocktail of Sprite, hydrocodone and/or cough syrup with codeine, and sometimes Xanax (aprazolam). Those kids that break into your house and steal nothing but prescription medications are probably wanting to make this.