Recovery is not a “one and done” deal but rather a work in progress with lots of highs and lows – as artists in these songs show.
People who struggle with drug addiction are often marginalized from “normative” society. Often people see them as merely drug addicts and forget the humanity underneath their destructive disease. Songwriting gives artists the opportunity to be vulnerable with their lyrics and tell stories of struggle and recovery. Here are five songs that span in that range:
1. “Sober” by P!nk
Singer/songwriter P!nk began abusing drugs when she was 12-years-old, quitting when she was 16-years-old because of an overdose. While the singer says she has remained clean since her overdose, several of P!nk’s songs discuss the struggles of addiction. In the chorus of her song “Sober,” P!nk expresses her internal conflict between using drugs and remaining sober:
I’m safe up high
Nothing can touch me
Why do I feel this party’s over?
No pain inside
You’re my protection
But how do I feel this good sober?
With these lyrics, P!nk illustrates the euphoric feelings of being under the influence while also the serenity of sobriety, debating which one is worth chasing more.
2. “Going Through Changes” by Eminem
Eminem released his album Recovery in 2010, an album which was dedicated to the rapper’s battle with drug addiction and the process of his recovery. In this song, Eminem describes how he got addicted to pills, saying that after he lost a close friend of his, he started “poppin’ Vics, Percs and Methadone pills.” The song moves to how his life spiraled out of control from dependency on pills to eventual heroin use. Towards the end, Eminem raps: “Wake up in the hospital, full of tubes,” referencing his first heroin overdose. It is a rock-bottom moment that brings him to change. He writes:
There are just too many things to explain, when it rains
Guess it pours, yet it does, wish there wasn’t any pain
But I can’t pretend there ain’t, I ain’t placin’ any blame
It was in the moment, the song says, that he decides he needs to make a change in life.
3. “Recovery” by James Arthur
English singer James Arthur struggled with a marijuana addiction for years, claiming it first began when he was a contestant on “X Factor.” At one point, he said he would smoke 15 marijuana blunts before going to bed so he could sleep. Going through recovery is extremely difficult, but Arthur says in this song that he “defined” and “designed” his process by focusing his energy on making music to cope with his addiction. Even though the “choirs keep singing” and the “phone keeps ringing,” Arthur fights through the temptations because he defined the depths of his recovery.
4. “Amazing” by Aerosmith
Lead singer of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, wrote he “Had an angel of mercy to see me through all my sins” in the band’s song “Amazing.” Tyler writes how “amazing” it feels when “With the blink of an eye you finally see the light” and “When the moment arrives that you know you’ll be alright.” The outro of the song is dedicated to all of those who are continuing to fight the everyday battle of addiction as Tyler says “So from all of us at Aerosmith to all of you out there, wherever you are, remember: the light at the end of the tunnel may be you.”
5. “Life is Beautiful” by Sixx A.M.
In 1978, Nikki Sixx, former Motley Crue bassist, overdosed on heroin and was declared dead for two minutes before being revived. After his overdose, Sixx wrote “Life is Beautiful.” Sixx writes lyrics like “You can’t live until you die” and “There’s nothing like a funeral to make you feel alive.” As this song makes clear, it took dying for Sixx to realize life is precious. Addiction can be blinding, but Sixx’s message to them is: “Just open your eyes and see that life is beautiful.”
