Remarks:
Although it is now an utter classic a generation later, it did not even make it onto the American pop charts when it came out in 1983. Even on the black charts it only got to #47. In Britain it did far better getting to #7 and remaining in the top 40 for most of the summer of 1984. Baby.
People think of this as a Grandmaster Flash song but he had nothing to do with it: he had left Sugar Hill Records the year before. It was written by Melle Mel and Sylvia Robinson. Robinson passed away last month and is a legend in her own right. She is the same Sylvia of Mickey & Sylvia who had a hit in 1957, “Love is Strange”. She also sang “Pillow Talk” (1973).
Lyrics:
(Aaah, aaah, aaah, aaah)
Uhraah!
Bass!
Ooh White, White
Ooh White, White
Ooh White, White
(Ooh White Lines) Vision dreams of passion
(Blowin’ through my mind) and all the while I think of you
(High price) a very strange reaction
(For us to unwind) the more I see, the more I do
(Something like a phenomenon) Baby!
(Tellin your body to come along, but white lines blow away)
(Blow! Rock it! Blow!)
Ticket to ride, white line highway
Tell all your friends, they can go my way
Pay your toll, sell your soul
Pound for pound costs more than gold
The longer you stay, the more you pay
My white lines go a long way
Either up your nose or through your vein
With nothin to gain except killin’ your brain
(Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!)
(Blow!)
(Ahhh) Higher, baby
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby!
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby!
And don’t ever come down! (Freebase!)
Rang dang diggedy dang di-dang
Rang dang diggedy dang di-dang
Rang dang diggedy dang di-dang
Diggedy dang di-dang diggedy dang di-dang
(Pipeline) pure as the driven snow
(Connected to my mind) and now I’m havin’ fun, baby!
(High price) it’s getting kinda low
(Cause it makes you feel so nice) I need some one-on-one, baby!
(Don’t let it blow your mind away) Baby!
(And go into your little hideaway ‘cause white lines blow away)
(Blow! Rock it! Blow!)
A million magic crystals, painted pure and white
A multi-million dollars almost overnight
Twice as sweet as sugar, twice as bitter as salt
And if you get hooked, baby, it’s nobody else’s fault, so don’t do it!
(Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!)
Raah! (Blow!)
(Ahhh) Higher, baby
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby!
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby!
And don’t ever come down! (Freebase!)
(Don’t you get too high) don’t you get too high baby!
(Turns you on) you really turn me on and on
(‘Cause you gotta come down) my temperature is risin’
(When the thrill is gone) no, I don’t want you to go
A street kid gets arrested, gonna do some time
He got out three years from now just to commit more crime
A businessman is caught with 24 kilos
He’s out on bail and out of jail
And that’s the way it goes
Raah!
(Kane! Sugar! Kane! Sugar! Kane!)
Athletes rejected, governerds corrected
Gangsters, thugs and smugglers are thoroughly respected
The money gets divided
The women get excited
Now I’m broke and it’s no joke
It’s hard as hell to fight it, don’t buy it!
(Freeze! Haha ha ha! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!)
Raah! (Blow!)
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby
(Ahhh) Get higher, girl!
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby!
C’mon!
Raah!
(White Lines) Vision dreams of passion
(Blowin’ through my mind) and all the while I think of you
(High price) a very strange reaction
(For us to unwind) the more I see, the more I do
(Something like a phenomenon) Baby!
(Tellin your body to come along, but white lines blow away)
Little Jack Horner sitting on the corner
With no shoes and clothes
This aint funny, but he took his money
And sniffed it up his nose
(Hey man, you wanna cop some blow?)
(Sure, what you got, dust, flakes or rocks?)
(I got China White, Mother of Pearl, Ivory Flake, What you need?)
(Well yeah, well let me check it out man, just let me get a freeze)
(Go ahead man, stuff I got should kill ya!)
(Yeah man th-that’s that’s raw, wuh)
(Freeze! Haha ha ha! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!
Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!)
Duran Duran did a late 90′s cover of this tune…
@ch555x
Duran Duran did a late 90′s cover of this tune…
Yeah I remember this, I didn’t much care for it – did you like it?
She’s also the same Sylvia who wrote and sang “Pillow Talk” in the early 1970′s. “White Lines” is a departure for her.
@Demerera
I was neutral, though it did make me want to hear the original…:/
Abagond, do you remember a song called Crack Killed Apple Jack? Please tell me you do. I can’t be the only one! I think I was still in junior high so it was in the eighties. Dang, I’m getting old!
@ Mochasister:
The lyrics sound familiar but not the song. It seems like I probably heard it but not that much.
@ Nestafan2
“Pillow Talk” – thank you. I am adding that to the post.
I remember the days.
Hi Abagond, it’s been awile since I’ve written on here-but just wanted to say thank you for continuing the awesomenesS that is your blog! @ Mochasister: I know this is a bit late, but you begged a question that deserves answering. Yes, I remember that song; The lyrics were; “Crack killed Apple Jack, he jumped in but he didn’t jump back-he was just too blind to see that, Death lives the Rock House” Classic!!!
On this song, the bass line is very similar to the second part of the song during an improvisation of a song by Herbie Hancock back in 1973, called Chameleon