Is There A Pill?

Album: Further (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Richard Hawley was inspired to write this grungy tune after someone very close to him killed himself. He has in the past referenced a cousin who committed suicide after coming off prescription drugs in 2013.
  • Because of its subject matter, this could have turned into a negative song, but Hawley told NME he penned it "to make myself and his family feel better."

    He added: "To try and turn it into something positive was almost impossible, but it's a lesson to us all. You've got to have respect for somebody when they make that ultimate decision. It was awful circumstances, but it was to do with the prescription medication that f---d his head up. It's a comment on our growing reliance on it."
  • Hawley has had his own bitter experience of prescription drugs. Back in 2012 at a gig, the singer slipped on a marble staircase while wearing leather-soled shoes and broke his leg. He spent the next month in a wheelchair on Tramadol. Hawley recalled: "When I broke my leg they put me on all of these mad-as-f--k pills. My wife is a mental health nurse and I discussed it with her at length."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

Song Cities

Song CitiesMusic Quiz

Nirvana, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are among those who wrote songs with cities that show up in this quiz.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."