Song · Huey Lewis and the News
“I Want A New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News
From the album Sports (1983)
“I Want A New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News appears on 4 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 2021 and 2025. It was first released in 1983 on the album Sports. Its best result is #30 on the WMGK Philly 500 (2025). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #438 of the '80s.
Watch
Video from YouTube (HueyLewisTheNewsVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"I Want A New Drug" was the second single Huey Lewis and the News pulled from Sports, their third album, following "Heart and Soul" out the door in January 1984. It went to number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and all the way to the top of the dance club chart, which tells you how hard that groove pushes.
Lewis said he knocked out the words in a matter of minutes, demanding pen and paper at his lawyer's office, and he wrote it with guitarist Chris Hayes. Despite the title, it's a love song: the "drug" is left deliberately vague, a hook to grab your ear, not a stance for or against anything. The band produced it themselves, with Mario Cipollina on bass, Bill Gibson on drums and Sean Hopper on keyboards, and the album cut stretches out with two long guitar solos, one mid-song and one riding the fade.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 638 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2022 | 390 | 99.1 PLR | 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) | 500 |
| 2023 | 325 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
| 2025 | 30 | WMGK | WMGK Philly 500 (2025) | 500 |
Also listed as: I Want a New Drug.
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "I Want A New Drug" by Huey Lewis and the News.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.