1975
COKANE IN MY BRAIN * DILLINGER * ISLAND 6334 * UK
Dillinger released his straight forward account of cocaine use at a time when the drug had started to become an indulgence not just for the rich and well connected in the UK (and possibly much of the Western world) but for the mass of not so well-off folk in the big towns and urban environments across the country. Although cocaine was not yet a serious rival to either Ganja or amphetamines, or indeed alcohol, it was now used by many, many more than the preceding decade, due to a massive reduction in price and an awareness that the propaganda, pushed by the state and other vested interests, was grossly exaggerated and by and large false.
While there had been many mentions of cocaine use in American records, Blues, Swing and R&B throughout the preceding decades they were often in the form of slang and as such consequently largely unnoticed by white audiences. With Cokane (sic) In My Brain, Dillinger not only openly declares his use of the stimulant by its actual name but legitimizes its use, without the need for ciphers, on all future records. Although it's not altogether clear what his attitude to cocaine is, Dillinger doesn't actually condone its use, but due to the songs commercial success the normalizing effect of the word cocaine being mentioned in an, at worst, ambivalent way softens the the listeners, often hard set, views towards it.
It's also worth noting that the following year Peter Tosh released his tribute to cannabis Legalize It.
NB Cokane In My Brain was issued in the UK with CB 200 on the b side but early issues the title reads as Power.
See also:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Cup A Tea | John Devour | Melting Pot | Headquarters | Flat Foot Hustlings |