Elton John and Addiction: A Look at "White Lady White Powder" and "Social Disease"

Throughout his career, Elton John has addressed delicate themes in his music, including drug use and its consequences. Two tracks that exemplify this theme are "White Lady White Powder" and "Social Disease."

"White Lady White Powder" (1980)

Released on the album 21 at 33, "White Lady White Powder" directly tackles cocaine use. The term "White Lady" is slang for cocaine, reflecting the drug's visual appearance.

"I've had my face in a mirror for twenty-four hours / Staring at a line of white powder"
"High-priced madness pays the tab / I've scraped too much of nothing from your plastic bag"

The song was released as a single in 1980 on a 7-inch vinyl, with "White Man Danger" as the B-side. The record was produced by Elton John and Clive Franks under The Rocket Record Company. It was recorded at Superbear Studios in Nice, France, in August 1979.

Despite its controversial theme, there are no records of the song being banned from radio play.

During the same period (August 1979), Elton John recorded three albums that would be released between 1979 and 1981:

Victim of Love

Recording: August 1979, Musicland Studios (Munich, Germany) & Rusk Sound Studios (Hollywood, USA)

Release: October 12, 1979

21 at 33

Recording: August 1979 at Super Bear Studios (Nice, France); overdubs in January–March 1980 in Los Angeles studios

Release: May 23, 1980

The Fox

Recording: August 1979 – March 1980 (initial sessions); final overdubs in January 1981

Studios: Super Bear (Nice, France); Sunset Sound, The Village, Davlen (Los Angeles, USA); Abbey Road (London, UK)

Release: May 20, 1981

These three projects showcase Elton John's intense work pace in the early 1980s, with overlapping recording dates and studios spread across three countries.

"Social Disease" (1973)

Featured on the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, "Social Disease" explores self-destruction and substance dependence as coping mechanisms.

The lyrics:
"I just get high on tequila and see visions of vineyards in my dreams"

suggest alcohol as an escape from reality. The song also delves into dysfunctional relationships and the alienation resulting from self-destructive behavior.

Despite its upbeat and seemingly harmless melody, "White Lady White Powder" was a bold move in Elton John's career due to its serious lyrical content"

Complete lyrics of "White Lady White Powder":

Dust settles on a thin cloud
Sends a fog drifting to a worn out crowd
I've had my face in a mirror for twenty four hours
Staring at a line of white powder

High-priced madness pays the tab
I've scraped too much of nothing from your plastic bag
I'm a catatonic son of a bitch who's had
A touch too much of white powder

And she's a habit I can't handle
For a reason I can't say
I'm in love with a wild white lady
She's as sweet as the stories say

White powder, white lady
You're one and the same
Come on down to my house won't you
And hit this boy again

Shock waves to a tired brain
Sends that hungry lady to my door again
She's my shelter from the storm when I feel the rain
Entertaining white powder

I feel I'm dry-docked and tongue-tied
Heaven sends a stretcher for the kids to ride
I might just escape while the others might die
Riding on a high of white powder

And she's a habit I can't handle
For a reason I can't say
I'm in love with a wild white lady
She's as sweet as the stories say

White powder, white lady
You're one and the same
Come on down to my house won't you
And hit this boy again

White powder
White lady
Hit this boy again
White powder
White lady
Hit this boy again
White powder
White lady
Hit this boy again

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