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The Pusher

THE PUSHER
 
 
“The Pusher”  is a rock song written by Hoyt Axton, made popular by the 1969 movie Easy Rider which used Steppenwolf’s version to accompany the opening scenes showing drug trafficking.  The lyrics of the song distinguish between a dealer in drugs such as marijuana — who “will sell you lots of sweet dreams” — and a pusher of hard drugs such as heroin — a “monster” who doesn’t care “if you live or if you die”.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 

My home town of Winston-Salem, North Carolina also has a reputation as being kind of prudish.  Their feud with the rock band Steppenwolf is rather well known in rock circles, as the City fathers attempted to keep the band from singing “goddamn” when they performed their hit song “The Pusher” there.  (Lead singer John Kay obliged, though the concert crowds always enthusiastically filled in the offending word). 

 

(March 2013)