Songfacts®:

• The lyrics in this song seem to speak to a specific person, so in 2012, we asked The Dandy Warhols who the tune was about. Guitarist Pete Holmstrom said that it was indeed about a specific person, but added, "let's just leave it at that."
• In 2003, lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor admitted to UK magazine Mojo that this song was written about one of his ex-girlfriends who actually became a heroin addict over the course of just one week while he was on tour with The Dandys. Taylor-Taylor went on to explain that the two had been together for four years and that at one time, she was "the coolest, smartest, hottest chick" in Portland.
  
  After discovering that his longtime girlfriend had become a heroin addict, Courtney was determined not to write a sad song about it. The singer claimed he "didn't have enough respect for that s--t" to be saddened by it. Instead, he wrote this song as an upbeat rock number and mocked his girlfriend in the chorus, saying "heroin is so passé."
  
  At the time, "Heroin Chic" was in fashion, so there was plenty of work for skinny models who could pull off a strung-out, vacant look. This song seemed to mock that trend - the video shows dancing syringes and overdose victims.
• The music video featuring the band performing among dancing syringes was directed by David LaChapelle, a celebrity photographer and fine artist famous for his colorful, surrealist imagery. When LaChapelle made the move to music videos, he brought that aesthetic with him on this clip - his very first music video. In particular, he was inspired by the "heroin is so passé" lyric.
  
  He told MTV News: "I wanted to do something that was kind of like that would really show a sense of humor, but really try and get a point across that it really is passe."
  
  LaChapelle, who landed the gig because Courtney Taylor-Taylor was a fan of his work, became a seasoned video director known for pushing the envelope with his fanciful, and at times controversial, concepts, like the racy clip for Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty."