#28: Love Is The Drug by Roxy Music
City: Hamilton, ON
Radio Station: CKOC
Peak Month: April 1976
Peak Position in Hamilton ~ #4
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #30
YouTube: “Love Is The Drug”
Lyrics: “Love Is The Drug”
In 1945, Bryan Ferry was born in Washington, near Durham, England. His dad worked on a farm and took care of pit ponies. After he got his undergraduate degree, he took courses in fine art at Newcastle University in the mid’60’s. While he was studying, he was part of a student band named the City Blues. With his fine arts degree he started to teach pottery at a girl’s school in London. Concurrently, Ferry founded a band called Banshees. After that he formed a band that included Graham Simpson named the Gas Board. In 1968 he took up residence in London. Ferry was fired from his teaching post for hosting sessions with the ceramics students where they listened to records. Ferry moved on and assembled a band with bass player, Graham Simpson, saxophone and oboe player, Andy MacKay, synthesizer player, Brian Eno, guitarist, Phil Manzanera, and Paul Thompson on drums and percussion being the musicians who endured in the midst of a few minor lineup changes in the early years. He called the band Roxy Music.
In 1972 the band charted their debut single, “Virginia Plain”, to #4 on the UK Singles Chart. Roxy Music cut a striking visual image that was novel in the early 70’s. They became part of the vanguard of the glam rock trend in the UK. Between 1972 and 1981 the band charted nine singles into the Top Ten of the UK Singles Chart. These included “Pyjamarama”, “Street Life”, “Dance Away”, “Angel Eyes”, “Oh Yeah”, and a number-one hit in 1981 titled “Jealous Guy”. Among these was a #2 hit in the UK in 1975 titled “Love Is the Drug”.
“Love Is the Drug” is a song about hitting the streets in search of some casual, no-strings-attached sex. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in 2019, Bryan Ferry noted: “The image I had in mind for the song was a young guy getting into his car and zooming off into town, looking for action at a club.” The Roxy Music singer added that part of “Love Is the Drug” was inspired by the Caribbean patois of his Trinidadian friend, Christian. “He worked for Roxy doing wardrobe. Christian was a very amusing, laid-back guy. If there was ever a problem, Christian would say, ‘T’ain’t no big t’ing.’ I liked the phrase, so my opening lyrics to the song were:
T’ain’t no big thing
To wait for the bell to ring
T’ain’t no big thing
The toll of the bell”
“Love Is The Drug” reached #4 in Dayton (OH), Montreal, and Hamilton (ON), #6 in Toronto, Cleveland, and Akron (OH), #9 in New Haven (CT), and Boston, and #10 in Vancouver (WA), Salt Lake City, and Pawtucket (RI).
Internationally, “Love Is the Drug” peaked at #2 in the UK, #3 in Canada, #8 in the Netherlands, #15 in Belgium, and #18 in Australia.
The early style and presentation of Roxy Music was influenced by the art school backgrounds of its principal members. Ferry, Mackay and Eno all had studied at prominent UK art colleges during the mid-to-late 1960s, when these institutions were introducing courses that avoided traditional art teaching practice, with its emphasis on painting, and instead focused on more recent developments, most notably pop art, and explored new concepts such as cybernetics. As writer Michael Bracewell notes in his book Roxy: the band that invented an era, Roxy Music was created expressly by Ferry, Mackay and Eno as a means of combining their mutual interests in music, modern art and fashion.
In 1982 they released their eighth and final studio album, Avalon. The album peaked at #1 in the UK on the album charts for 3 weeks and staying on the album charts for over a year. A multi-million seller, the album contained several singles that were hits in the UK and Australia. “More Than This” was the debut single. It peaked at #6 in the UK and Australia. Although it only charted at #102 in the United States. Next up was the title track, “Avalon” which sold well as a single in the UK (#13) and Australia (#22). Their third single release from the album was “Take A Chance With Me”.
Andy MacKay, when not with Roxy Music, has been part of recordings with Duran Duran, Mott the Hoople, John Cale, Paul McCartney, Godley & Creme, Brian Eno and others.
Phil Manzanera has performed with Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Dave Edmunds and others. He has also been a session musician in studio recordings with Godley & Creme, Steve Winwood, John Cale and others.
In 1983 the group had a non-album single, “Like A Hurricane”, that climbed into the Top 30 in Ottawa. Roxy Music split up in 1983. Bryan Ferry had begun a parallel solo career in 1973 and released his sixth solo album Boys And Girls, in 1985. He released his fifteenth studio album, Avonmore, in 2014. Meanwhile, Roxy Music reunited from 2001 to 2011.
October 19, 2026
Ray McGinnis
References:
Marc Myers, “The Swaggering Love Song that Launched New Wave,” The Wall Street Journal, February 27, 2019.
Barney Hoskins, “Bryan Ferry: Melancholic of Glam,” The Independent, UK, June 15, 2001.
John Leibman, “Neil Jason ~ Interview,” For Bass Players Only.com, September 26, 2011.
Andy MacKay bio ~ The Great Rock Bible.com, 2012
Jimmy Maelen bio ~ revolvy.com
Phil Manzanera bio ~ manzanera.com
Fonzi Thornton bio ~ Wikipedia.
CKOC 1150-AM Hamilton (ON)
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