I Want a New Drug

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“I Want a New Drug”
Single by Huey Lewis & The News from the album Sports
B-side	"Finally Found a Home"
Released	1984
Format	7", 12"
Genre	Pop / Rock
Length	4:46 (album version) 3:29 (single edit) 5:32 (12" dance mix)
Label	Chrysalis
Writer(s)	Chris Hayes, Huey Lewis
Producer	Huey Lewis & The News
Huey Lewis & The News singles chronology
"Heart and Soul" (1983) "I Want a New Drug" (1984) "The Heart of Rock & Roll" (1984)

"I Want a New Drug" is a song by American rock band Huey Lewis & The News from their third album Sports. It was released as the second single from the album, following the top-ten hit "Heart and Soul" in January 1984. The single reached number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Dance Club Play chart.

When the similarities between this song and the theme song of the 1984 film Ghostbusters were heard, Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. for plagiarism, claiming that Parker had stolen the melody from "I Want a New Drug". Lewis had been approached to compose the main theme song for the film, but had to decline because of his work on the soundtrack for Back to the Future. The producers of the film allegedly then hired Ray Parker and asked him to write a theme that sounded like "I Want a New Drug".^{[citation needed]}

In 2001, in an interview on VH1's Behind the Music, Lewis mentioned the suit. This allegedly breached a confidentiality agreement in the aftermath of the first suit, and led to a countersuit by Parker.

[edit] Pop culture

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• The song was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "I Want a New Duck" on his album Dare to be Stupid.
• Huey Lewis and "I Want a New Drug" were directly referenced by indie rocker Emily Haines in "The Bank", a song from her 2007 EP What Is Free to a Good Home?.
• This song was also featured on The Simpsons episode "Midnight Rx".
• Glen Phillips recorded a remake of this song on his 2006 album Mr. Lemons as did Mardo on his self-titled 2004 album. Bing Li Jing also recorded a funky version of this song on the 2006 masterpiece, Fire and Ice Cream. All three of these versions are quite different from the original, but are all quite good in their own right.
• Asleep at the Wheel recorded a cover of this song on their 1987 album 10.

[edit] Chart performance

[edit] See also

• List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)

[edit] External links

• "I Want a New Drug" video on VH1 Classic website

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