Pharmacology-related Music Introduction

This playlist aims to highlight examples of pharmacology in

popular music, which should be of interest to students in natural

sciences, pharmacology, biochemistry and pharmacy.

You can find the songs individually below or as a Playlist together

on YouTube.

It is a Top 40, with a few to spare.

Below there is also description of the mechanism of action.

Criteria:

1. The songs preferably have direct mention of a specific drug

(either a formal or informal name), rather than complex mixtures

of pharmacologically active substances (e.g. marijuana, peyote,

kratom).

2. I have selected high quality music (no student skits),

including examples from pop, electronica, hip-hop, country, folk,

bluegrass and jazz.

Obviously musicians make more songs about psychoactive drugs

than anti-virals, immunosuppressants etc., so I had to dig hard

to find songs on non-psychoactive drugs.

Many musically important songs related to heroin and cocaine

have been excluded for the sake of diversity.

Nearly all the lyrics on psychoactive drugs highlight the damage

that drugs of abuse cause.

I have found songs referring to drugs against allergy, bacterial

infection and diabetes. I couldn’t find a suitable song about a

therapeutic antibody but I found one about a recombinant

protein.

Please let me know other high quality songs that fit the above

criteria.

CAUTION: many songs contain strong language and adult

themes.

Complete list of structures of the drugs in the songs to download.

Pulp - Sorted For E's & Wizz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxhuZj25TKU

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “And you want to phone your mother and say

‘Mother, I can never come home again

'cause I seem to have left an important part of my brain

somewhere

Somewhere in a field in Hampshire’.”

Relevant drug: MDMA, aka E or ecstasy; Amphetamine,

aka Wizz

Mechanism of action: - MDMA is a stimulant and increases

empathy. MDMA is a drug of abuse, particularly as part of rave

culture, that is a mixture of stereoisomers with different activities

and activates serotonin receptors. MDMA was previously tested

against post-traumatic stress disorder.

- Amphetamines are stimulants that are common drugs of abuse,

although they have been approved for use in Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and obesity. Amphetamines have

various effects in the central nervous system, particularly by

activating the trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) which

leads to changes in various neurotransmitters, including

dopamine.

Ice T – You Played Yourself

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7djYYE63Ug

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Nobody put the crack into the pipe

Nobody made you smoke off your life

You thought that you could do dope and still stay cool? Fool.”

Relevant drug: cocaine

Mechanism of action: Crack cocaine (aka rock) is made by

treating cocaine with a base (usually sodium bicarbonate), which

enables the drug to be smoked. Crack cocaine gives a quicker

high and is more addictive than standard cocaine. Cocaine has

various modes of action, notably inhibiting the dopamine

transporter so that there is more dopamine left in particular

synapses.

Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beINamVRGy4

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Doing crystal meth will lift you up until you break

It won't stop, I won't come down”

Relevant drug: methamphetamine, aka crystal meth or ice

Mechanism of action: Methamphetamine is a stimulant that is a

common drug of abuse, although it has been approved for use in

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and obesity.

Methamphetamine has various effects in the central nervous

system, particularly by activating the trace amine-associated

receptor 1 (TAAR1) which leads to changes in various

neurotransmitters, including dopamine.

This song was written to be a San Francisco version of “Walk on

the wild side”.

Can – Vitamin C

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXsd5W8ofDw

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Hey you!

You’re losing, you’re losing, you’re losing, you’re losing your

vitamin C!”

Relevant drug: Vitamini C (aka ascorbic acid)

Mechanism of action: Present in fresh fruit and vegetables but

often taken as a nutritional supplement. Cofactor for various

enzymes, especially in the production of collagen. May have a

role as a general anti-oxidant.

Suede - Animal Nitrate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7mEB2wnDLQ

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Well, he said he'd show you his bed

And the delights of the chemical smile

So in your broken home, he broke all your bones”

Relevant drug: Amyl nitrite

Mechanism of action: Amyl nitrite dilates blood vessels, releasing

the natural vasodilator nitric oxide. Amyl nitrite can be used

against heart disease and is also a drug of abuse. Note that amyl

nitrite may be a mixture of different pentyl chains.

Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys- Empire State Of Mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk6014HuxcE

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Welcome to the melting pot,

corners where we're selling rock”

“Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight

MDMA got you feeling like a champion

The city never sleeps, better slip you're a Ambien”

Relevant drug: cocaine, MDMA, Ambien (aka zolpidem)

Mechanism of action:

- Crack cocaine (aka rock) is made by treating cocaine with a

base (usually sodium bicarbonate), which enables the drug to be

smoked. Crack cocaine gives a quicker high and may be more

addictive than standard cocaine. Cocaine has various modes of

action, notably inhibiting the dopamine transporter so that there

is more dopamine left in synapses.

- MDMA is a stimulant and increases empathy. MDMA is a drug of

abuse, particularly as part of rave culture, that is a mixture of

stereoisomers with different activities and activates serotonin

receptors. The use of MDMA was previously tested for possible

effects against post-traumatic stress disorder.

- Ambien is used to treat insomnia and increases the activity of

GABAA receptors.

Eels - Novocaine for the Soul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2yy141q8HQ

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Novocaine for the soul

You'd better give me something to fill the hole

Before I sputter out”

Relevant drug: novocaine (aka procaine)

Mechanism of action: Novocaine is a local anaesthetic, acting as

an inhibitor of the influx of sodium ions through voltage-gated

sodium channels on peripheral nerves.

DAM – Prozac

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuUtkqbpFjs

Complete lyrics

DAM are a Palestinian hip-hop group.

Key lyrics: “Don’t write me a prescription, don’t give me Prozac

It’s my depression, so mind your business”

Relevant drug: Prozac, aka fluoxetine

Mechanism of action: Used as anti-depressant and for treating

Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder by acting as a selective

serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).

The Shamen - Ebeneezer Goode

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFJdUJg4wOk

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “A great philosopher once wrote

Naughty, naughty, very naughty”

Relevant drug: MDMA (aka E or ecstasy)

Mechanism of action: MDMA is a stimulant and increases

empathy. MDMA is a drug of abuse, particularly as part of rave

culture, that is a mixture of stereoisomers with different activities

and activates serotonin receptors. The use of MDMA was

previously tested for possible effects against post-traumatic

stress disorder. The song was initially banned by the BBC.

The Rolling Stones - Sister Morphine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJGF8MRDMqo

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Please, Sister Morphine, turn my nightmares into

dreams

Oh, can't you see I'm fading fast?

And that this shot will be my last?”

Relevant drug: morphine

Mechanism of action: Morphine is a potent pain-killer in the clinic

and stimulates opioid receptors. Heroin is closely related to

morphine, is highly addictive, and is the more common drug of

abuse.

David Bowie – Crack City

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p6dhc6DRNI

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “I'm riding on the subway

The subway down to hell

I've finished with this journey

I seem to know it well”

Relevant drug: cocaine

Mechanism of action: Crack cocaine (aka rock) is made by

treating cocaine with a base (usually sodium bicarbonate), which

enables the drug to be smoked. Crack cocaine gives a quicker

high and may be more addictive than standard cocaine. Cocaine

has various modes of action, notably inhibiting the dopamine

transporter so that there is more dopamine left in synapses.

Sam Supplier - Nitrous Oxide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2K2Daq8FSI

Key lyrics: No notable words but balloon sounds

Relevant drug: Nitrous oxide, N

2

O, aka laughing gas

Mechanism of action: Gas used as an anaesthetic, but also used

recreationally back to the 18

th

century. Acts on many ion

channels, particularly inhibiting NMDA receptors.

Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - Penicillin Penny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPP1xkgjnA8

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Penicillin Penny she's the queen of the sunset strip

If she ever gives you any then you better see your doctor real

quick”

Relevant drug: penicillin

Mechanism of action: Penicillin is a broadly acting antibiotic, that

kills bacteria by interfering with cell-wall synthesis. Penicillin

binds covalently to penicillin-binding proteins that are involved in

cross-linking of the cell wall. Different variants of penicillin have

been made to overcome bacterial resistance.

Gov't Mule - Thorazine Shuffle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jktJZ3umzNI

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Stand by to stand by

Ain't no need to worry today

Thorazine shuffle make everything OK”

Relevant drug: thorazine (aka chlorpromazine)

Mechanism of action: Thorazine is an anti-psychotic drug, used

against schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Thorazine has various

effects in the central nervous system, notably blocking dopamine

receptors.

The Dead South - Codeine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0znpJ8mE48

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Codeine, Codeine

You're the nicest thing I've seen

For a while”

Relevant drug: Codeine

Mechanism of action: Codeine is a painkiller and has high

potential for addiction, activating opioid receptors.

Michael Jackson – Demerol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSHX4hLe-HQ

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Yesterday you had his trust

Today he's taking twice as much

Demerol”

Relevant drug: Demerol (aka pethidine)

Mechanism of action: Demerol is used against severe pain,

stimulating opioid receptors.This is a segment of the longer song,

“Morphine”, and Michael Jackson was reported to be addicted to

Demerol.

Ari Dayan - Ozempic Wegovy Mounjaro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV8nd03p3Dk

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “ABC, 123

GLPs for you and me

Keep up with the Kardashians”

Relevant drug: semaglutide (aka Ozempic, Wegovy), tirzepatide

(aka Mounjaro)

Mechanism of action: These drugs are lipidated peptides and are

highly successful against Type 2 diabetes and promoting weight

loss. Semaglutide activates the glucagon-like peptide (GLP) 1

receptor. Tirzepatide activates both the glucagon-like peptide 1

receptor and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide

receptor.

Jhené Aiko - Psilocybin (Love In Full Effect)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BbGvFf94V4

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Get it poppin' on this Psilocybin

Getting rid of inhibition

An insane asylum”

Relevant drug: psilocybin

Mechanism of action: Psilocybin is a psychedelic drug, originally

derived from fungi. In the body the phosphate is cleaved and the

resultant drug, psilocin, is an agonist for different serotonin

receptors. Psilocybin is taken recreationally but has also been

tested in clinical trials against depression.

Chandler Leighton - Oxytocin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdcnWsadSGA

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Synthetic sensations drain

Oxytocin through my brain

So high, I think I'm Cobain”

Relevant drug: oxytocin

Mechanism of action: Oxytocin is a peptide hormone involved in

social bonds and uterine contraction. Oxytocin can be injected to

induce childbirth.

Lucky Dube - Up with Hope Down with Dope

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imnlu8Dd1xM

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “I am telling you now

Cocaine, no good for you

Liquor, no good for you

You go sniffling them glue

No good for you”

Relevant drug: cocaine

Mechanism of action: Cocaine has various modes of action,

notably inhibiting the dopamine transporter so that there is more

dopamine left in synapses.

Rolling Stones – Mother’s Little Helper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4MTHivAcyo

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Mother needs something today to calm her down

And though she's not really ill

There's a little yellow pill”

Relevant drug: Valium (aka diazepam)

Mechanism of action: Valium is used against anxiety and panic

attacks, acting as a positive allosteric modulator at the GABAA

receptor.

Loretta Lynn – The Pill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2pd1l0i0A8

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “But all I've seen of this old world is a bed and a

doctor bill

I'm tearing down your brooder house 'cause now I've got the pill”

Relevant drug:

Mechanism of action: The first combined oral contraceptive pill

was Enovid, a combination of mestranol and norethisterone and

approved by the FDA in 1960. Mestranol is a metabolised to give

an activator of the oestrogen receptor while norethisterone

activates the progesterone receptor, so ovulation is blocked.

Siouxxie Sixxsta - Ketamine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYO1WLJFJ04

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Ketamine, diamonds

Everything is a nightmare

I haven't slept for three days”

Relevant drug: ketamine

Mechanism of action: Ketamine is used for anaesthesia and

managing pain, blocking the NMDA receptor.

1200 Micrograms - DMT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i06lNgbnhsU

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “This is your last chance.

After this, there is no turning back

You take the blue pill - the story ends.”

Relevant drug: DMT (aka N,N-Dimethyltryptamine)

Mechanism of action: DMT is a psychedelic and stimulates the

sigma-1 receptor. DMT has been used in clinical trials for

Parkinson’s Disease and for depression.

1200 Micrograms are a psychedelic trance group, who formed in

1999 in Ibiza. They have various songs on other psychedelics.

Gavin Rossdale - Adrenaline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21mEVQMxDmE

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Adrenaline keeps me in the game.

Adrenaline you don’t even feel the pain.”

Relevant drug: adrenaline

Mechanism of action: Adrenaline is a hormone with a wide range

of roles in the body, stimulating different adrenergic receptors.

Adrenaline is used medically against anaphylactic shock or

cardiac arrest.

Buffy Sainte-Marie - Codine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3bfqlTCHZk

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “If I live til tomorrow, it's gonna be a long time

For I'll reel and I'll fall and rise on codine”

Relevant drug: codeine

Mechanism of action: Codeine is a painkiller and has high

potential for addiction, activating opioid receptors.

Saint-Marie became addicted to codeine, after she was

prescribed it following a bronchial infection. The version by

Donovan is also worth listening to.

Tyson Motsenbocker - Fentanyl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4qvAXR8Fag

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Maybe you'd find Jesus

Or a twelve step way through

but there's no goodbye calls with Fentanyl”

Relevant drug: fentanyl

Mechanism of action: Fentanyl is powerful and fast acting for

pain relief, activating opoioid receptors. Fentanyl has been an

important part of the opioid epidemic, leading to large numbers

of overdose deaths.

Amateur Transplants - The Drugs Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPvpJhqRKY0

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “There’s Aspirin, Adrenaline & also Aminophylline,

Amphetamine, Adenosine, Augmentin & Rifampicin”

Relevant drug: multiple

Mechanism of action: multiple

This song is sung to the tune of Tom Lehrer’s Elements song

(“There's antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium”) by Amateur

Transplants, a parody group formed by Suman Biswas and Adam

Kay (the popular medical author). The Elements song is itself

based on “I am the very Model of a Modern Major General” by

Gilbert & Sullivan.

Ella Fitzgerald - Wacky Dust

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XgMlylPgWE

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “They call it wacky dust

It's something you can't trust

And in the end the rhythm will stop”

Relevant drug: cocaine

Mechanism of action: Cocaine has various modes of action,

notably inhibiting the dopamine transporter so that there is more

dopamine left in synapses.

Harry "The Hipster" Gibson - Who Put the Benzadrine in

Mrs Murphys Ovaltine?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ5_SyvxDXE

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “She drank a cup full most every night

And oooh, how she would dream

Until something rough got in the stuff

And made her neighbors scream, Ow!”

Relevant drug: amphetamine (aka Benzedrine)

Mechanism of action: Amphetamines are stimulants that are

common drugs of abuse, although they have been approved for

use in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and

obesity. Amphetamines have various effects in the central

nervous system, particularly by activating the trace amine-

associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) which leads to changes in various

neurotransmitters, including dopamine.

Harry Gibson was blacklisted for releasing this song.

Sofi Tukker – Benadryl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLynxwbALaE

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “I lost my sanity with my socks

One at a time, I barely noticed

'Til one day I found they all were gone”

Relevant drug: Benadryl (aka diphenhydramine)

Mechanism of action: Benadryl is used against allergies because

of its action at the histamine H1 receptor (an inverse agonist)

and can also be used as a local anaesthetic, blocking sodium

channels.

CVBZ - Vicodin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhBWfaUpUiE

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Cause we've got low lights, violet reds

Really cheap wine and Vicodin

Pray up to the ceiling that we never lose this feeling

We've got moonwalks on your bed”

Relevant drug: Vicodin

Mechanism of action: Vicodin is used to relieve pain and reduce

coughing. Vicodin contains hydrocodone and paracetamol.

Hydrocodone activates opioid receptors. Paracetamol (aka

acetaminophen) is metabolised to generate an activator of TRPV1

channels, which are important in the brain’s response to pain.

Stelle Amor - Fentanyl Fight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF59GpEwg1c

Key lyrics: “In another life I would’ve been the one

Who lost the fentanyl fight”

Relevant drug: fentanyl

Mechanism of action: Fentanyl is powerful and fast acting for

pain relief, activating opoioid receptors. Fentanyl has been an

important part of the opioid epidemic, leading to large numbers

of overdose deaths.

The Prodigy - Mescaline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYmaPZjlE40

Key lyrics: “Mescaline” repeated 19 times. Why say more?

Relevant drug: mescaline

Mechanism of action: Mescaline is a hallucinogen, activating

serotonin receptors, and is naturally present in peyote.

Canned Heat – Amphetamine Annie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fntMNNW0nYE

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “She thought her mind was flyin'

On those little pills

She didn't know it was goin' down fast 'cause

Speed kills”

Relevant drug: amphetamine, aka speed

Mechanism of action: Amphetamines are stimulants that are

common drugs of abuse, although they have been approved for

use in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and

obesity. Amphetamines have various effects in the central

nervous system, particularly by activating the trace amine-

associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) which leads to changes in various

neurotransmitters, including dopamine.

Stone The Crows - Penicillin Blues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CFfuJWoz0g

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “I’ve got bad blood baby,

looks like I need a shot”

Relevant drug: penicillin

Mechanism of action: Penicillin is a broadly acting antibiotic, that

kills bacteria by interfering with cell-wall synthesis. Penicillin

binds covalently to penicillin-binding proteins that are involved in

cross-linking of the cell wall. Different variants of penicillin have

been made to overcome resistance.

David Bowie - Rebel Rebel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy-rvsHsi1o

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “You got your cue line and a handful of ludes

You wanna be there when they count up the dudes”

Relevant drug: methaqualone, aka Quaalude

Mechanism of action: The name Quaalude comes from “quiet

interlude” and is a sedative, increasing the activity of GABAA

receptors allosterically. Quaaludes are addictive and became

used as a recreational drug.

DJ Stux – Penicillin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6XW4v3Pkjs

Key lyrics: unknown

Relevant drug: penicillin

Mechanism of action: Penicillin is a broadly acting antibiotic, that

kills bacteria by interfering with cell-wall synthesis. Penicillin

binds covalently to penicillin-binding proteins that are involved in

cross-linking of the cell wall. Different variants of penicillin have

been made to overcome resistance.

Matthew Dear - Modafinil Blues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jtBVv6gzMk&list=OLAK5uy

_k0MfWm8hYFVCSAO9UxrDpHgjnRlClaX9Y&index=3

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “As it was coming undone

I could have told you to run

But I searched and I yearned

For that pill

To get me through”

Relevant drug: modafinil

Mechanism of action: Modafinil is used against narcolepsy

(sudden sleepiness) and has also been misused as a cognitive

enhancer. Modafinil may affect neurons that respond to the

neuropeptide orexin, which is important in the sleep-wake cycle.

Bears in Trees - Ibuprofen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=640Kj9_qMJ4

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “No need for a lobotomy when the brain's just

working

I am hurting, I am hurting, could you be my Ibuprofen?”

Relevant drug: ibuprofen

Mechanism of action: Ibuprofen is used against pain and

inflammation. Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory

drug, inhibiting cyclooxygenase 1 and 2.

Goddard - Nicotine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9waMwLOr1s

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Would you be there tonight

Kiss my mouth with your poison

Would you be my nicotine?”

Relevant drug: nicotine

Mechanism of action: Nicotine is the key effector in cigarettes

and is addictive, activating most nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Nicotine in gum or patches is used to help in quitting smoking.

Lust For Youth - Epoetin Alfa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHKsPb-YKDY

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “He spins the wheels forth

Wrapped in wreath of flowers”

(about Lance Armstrong and EPO to help win the Tour de France)

Relevant drug: erythropoietin (aka Epogen, EPO)

Mechanism of action: Erythropoietin (EPO) is a protein that binds

to the EPO receptor and stimulates red blood cell production.

EPO is used clinically against anaemia. EPO has also been abused

to increase athletic performance.

Pabst – Ibuprofen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Oyd3fevP1k

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “Some pills will get you revved up

And some help you sleep

But if you wanna feel OK

It’s Ibuprofen”

Relevant drug: ibuprofen

Mechanism of action: Ibuprofen is used against pain and

inflammation. Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory

drug, inhibiting cyclooxygenase 1 and 2.

Bobby Bare - Quaaludes Again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YAqbPLJUis

Complete lyrics

Key lyrics: “She bounces off the sofa,

And walks into the wall.

It's easy to see that she buckles and bends.

She's doin' quaaludes again.”

Relevant drug: Methaqualone, aka quaalude

Mechanism of action: The name Quaalude comes from “quiet

interlude” and is a sedative, increasing the activity of GABAA

receptors allosterically. Quaaludes are addictive and became

popular as a recreational drug.