I Buy The Drugs

Album: Switzerland (2006)
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Songfacts®:

  • The drug dealer is the butt of the joke in this song, which isn't trying to make a grand statement. In a Songfacts interview with Electric Six lead singer Dick Valentine, he said: "The main character in the song is being supported by his girlfriend. There's drugs and laziness. I think it's just an anthem of, 'That's all it is.' It's just a poppy, festive song about a drug-addled sloth."
  • "I Buy The Drugs" was the first single from the third Electric Six album, Switzerland (so named because the band "loves to yodel, loves to make money and loves to sit on the political fence). The group is from Detroit but made it big in the UK, where two songs from their debut album - "Danger! High Voltage" and "Gay Bar" - made the Top 5. Three members quit after that album, but they soldiered on, releasing an album every year or so and doing lots of touring. They specialize in the absurd, especially when it comes to their videos.
  • The music video takes place at a fraternity on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit. It was directed by Anthony Garth, a Detroit native who worked with many artists from that area, including The White Stripes, Eminem, Kid Rock and the Von Bondies. He later moved into directing commercials.

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