10 Songs You Didn't Know Were About Heroin
3. "Hateful" (The Clash)
Released in 1979 off their seminal London Calling double LP (arguably the greatest album cover of all time), "Hateful" is fast-paced and playful, revealing an addict’s not-so-fun dependence on his drug dealer.
Joe Strummer’s rapid-fire, panting vocals delivers a reap-what-you-sow, anti-drug message: “Anything I want he gives it, but not for free.” The song may have also been inspired by the heroin overdose of Strummer's good friend, Sid Vicious (“this year I've lost some friends”). The ex-Sex Pistol had recently OD’d while on out bail for allegedly murdering his junkie girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, at New York City's infamous Hotel Chelsea. Grim.
Co-produced by Guy Stevens and Mick Jones, "Hateful" was recorded at Wessex Studios in Highbury, London for CBS records. Adding to the album's legendary status, the eccentric Stevens kept the band on their toes by wildly swinging a ladder during the session and pouring beer into the piano. Good times.