Cocaine

Eric Clapton, 1977. Solo by Eric Clapton.

Clapton's J.J. Cale cover has a laid-back solo.

Eric Clapton plays the lead on Blackie, his composite Stratocaster, with George Terry on rhythm. Where J.J. Cale's original leaves the solo to a session player, Clapton builds his version around a busier guitar arrangement, answering the chugging riff with short, blues-rooted fills and a compact solo that stays close to the groove. It is relaxed rather than fiery, and that laid-back feel is part of its appeal. Listen for how the solo never strays far from the riff; Clapton keeps returning to the groove, so the song never loses its steady, hypnotic push.

Cocaine by Eric Clapton is ranked #89 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Eric Clapton and the song was released in 1977. It appears on 6 lists, placing as high as #31 (Guitar Tricks).

The story of Cocaine

Cocaine was written and first recorded by the Oklahoma-born songwriter J. J. Cale, whose understated style had already given Eric Clapton a hit with After Midnight. Cale originally heard the tune as a jazzy number, but his producer Audie Ashworth talked him into turning it into a rocker. Cale's 1976 recording, cut for the album Troubadour, has him stacking single-note overdubs of the riff and playing bass, with session guitarist Reggie Young taking the guitar solo.

Clapton recorded his own version the following year for Slowhand, working at Olympic Studios in London in May 1977 with producer Glyn Johns, a veteran of sessions for the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. His touring band of the time played on it: George Terry on rhythm guitar, Dick Sims on Hammond organ, Carl Radle on bass and Jamie Oldaker on drums. Clapton's take is heavier and more polished than Cale's, with a more elaborate guitar part and his voice pushed further forward in the mix.

Slowhand came out on RSO on November 25, 1977, with Cocaine as its opening track, and the song first appeared on a single as the flip side of Lay Down Sally. It became a much bigger hit in concert form: a live recording made at Tokyo's Budokan for the album Just One Night was paired with Tulsa Time in 1980 and charted in the US and Canada. Clapton has insisted the lyric is quietly anti-drug, and he later rewrote parts of it on stage to make that plain.

The solo

Eric Clapton plays the lead guitar himself, with George Terry holding down the rhythm part underneath. According to Fender, the track was cut on Blackie, the black Stratocaster that luthier Ted Newman Jones put together around 1970 from parts of three 1950s Strats and used as his main guitar until 1985; it also appears on Lay Down Sally and I Shot the Sheriff. The studio amp and effects for the session are not documented in the sources consulted. Where J. J. Cale's original leaves the solo to session player Reggie Young, Clapton builds his version around a busier guitar arrangement, answering the insistent, chugging riff with short, blues-rooted fills and a compact solo that stays close to the song's groove rather than stretching out. Guitar World later placed it at No. 58 among the greatest guitar solos.

Legacy

Cocaine became one of Clapton's most recognisable songs and a permanent part of his concert repertoire, even though he dropped it for a time over fears it glamorised the drug. AllMusic's Richard Gilliam called it one of Clapton's most enduringly popular hits and among his best recordings. The song has gone multi-platinum in New Zealand and platinum in the Netherlands, and it cemented a partnership with J. J. Cale that led to their joint 2006 album The Road to Escondido.

Top 10 facts about Cocaine

J. J. Cale wrote and first released Cocaine on his 1976 album Troubadour; it appeared as the B-side of his single Hey Baby.
Songfacts
Cale originally imagined the song as a jazz tune until producer Audie Ashworth persuaded him to make it rock.
Songfacts
Session guitarist Reggie Young, not Cale, played the solo on the original Troubadour recording.
Wikipedia
Cale's version was a No. 1 hit in New Zealand and one of that country's best-selling singles of 1977.
Wikipedia
Slowhand was recorded at Olympic Studios in London in May 1977 with producer Glyn Johns.
Wikipedia: Slowhand
Clapton's Blackie Stratocaster, used on Cocaine, sold at Christie's in 2004 for $959,500, then a record for a guitar, with proceeds going to his Crossroads Centre.
Fender
Clapton has argued the song is cleverly anti-cocaine, saying an openly preachy anti-drug song would not work.
Wikipedia
In concert Clapton added the phrase 'that dirty cocaine' to the chorus to make his stance clearer.
Wikipedia
A live version from Just One Night, issued as the B-side of Tulsa Time, peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 in Canada.
Wikipedia
At the 1988 Prince's Trust Rock Gala, Elton John and Mark Knopfler joined Clapton to play the song.
Songfacts

Live versions

Just One Night (Budokan, Tokyo) (1980) Released as Tulsa Time's B-side, it became the version that actually charted in the US and Canada.
Prince's Trust Rock Gala (1988) Clapton shared the stage with Elton John and Mark Knopfler for the benefit show.
With J. J. Cale on stage (1977) During the Slowhand era Cale brought Clapton up to duet on the song, per Songfacts.

Notable covers

Bob Rivers Parody titled Cobain, aimed at Kurt Cobain's drug use.
Black Robot Listed by SecondHandSongs among recorded versions of Cale's song.
John Illsley Dire Straits bassist's version, recorded with Cunla and Greg Pearle.

In our lists

Deep Cuts — #48
One and Only — #11
The 25 Greatest Blues Rock Guitar Solos — #17
Best of Eric Clapton — #4
Most Divisive — #8

Sources

Who played the guitar solo on Cocaine?

Eric Clapton played the solo on Eric Clapton's Cocaine (1977).

What guitar was used on the Cocaine solo?

A fender stratocaster, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Cocaine rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#89 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 6 of them.

Who wrote Cocaine, Eric Clapton or J. J. Cale?

J. J. Cale wrote it and released it first in 1976; Clapton recorded his well-known cover for Slowhand in 1977.

What album is Cocaine by Eric Clapton on?

It opens Slowhand, released by RSO in November 1977 and produced by Glyn Johns.

What guitar did Clapton use on Cocaine?

Fender lists Cocaine among the songs Clapton recorded with Blackie, his composite black Stratocaster.

Is Cocaine an anti-drug song?

Clapton says yes: he describes it as subtly anti-cocaine and added 'that dirty cocaine' to live performances to make the point.

Was Cocaine a hit single?

The studio version was a B-side; a 1980 live version reached No. 30 in the US and No. 3 in Canada.