Following the album's release, the Screaming Jets went to the UK where they based themselves for over two years, touring there and throughout Europe with a variety of hard rock and heavy metal bands. During a series of shows with Ugly Kid Joe, Heaney was fired and replaced for the rest of the tour by one-time Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland.
The band's next album Tear of Thought, which featured Heaney's drumming, was initially slow to gain acceptance until a cover of Boys Next Door's "Shivers" saw the Screaming Jets back in the charts. Heaney was permanently replaced in the line-up by former BB Steal drummer Craig Rosevear and after a US tour with Def Leppard Lara was replaced by Melbourne musician Jimi "The Human" Hocking, who had previously fronted his own band, Jimi Human and Spectre 7, that released an album and two singles at the turn of the decade.
While the Screaming Jets remained only moderately successful overseas, in Australia they were one of the top-drawing live bands of the early-mid 1990s and perhaps the last remaining example of the pub rock acts that had ruled the country's live scene in the late 1970s - mid 1980s. While their single releases rarely scored high on the charts, they won significant airplay on rock radio and the band's tours were wildly successful. In 1995 the Screaming Jets' self-titled album made history when it became the first CD launched via live Webcast.
By the late 90s the Screaming Jets were touring less often and had not released an album of new material since 1996. Hocking had left in 1997 to be replaced by former Judge Mercy guitarist Izzy Osmanovich and after an extensive Australian tour in 2000, Rosevear left to be replaced by Col Hatchman. Although no longer the force they had once been, the Screaming Jets could still draw large crowds and in 2001 were selected to tour with Kiss and Alice Cooper; at the end of that year the band announced an extended break from all touring and recording, playing a final series of shows.
In December 2002, the Screaming Jets did another brief tour in support of a self-financed live album that had been recorded the previous year, but then did not play live again until mid-2004. Since then have continued to record and tour, though more sporadically than during the early 1990s and have also signed a record publishing deal with Universal Records.
Hard Drugs
The Screaming Jets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I ain't got nobody to love
You caught me messin' round all over town
I didn't need it, I didn't want it
I couldn't help it, she just kept going down
Now I'm back on the street again
Back on the hard drugs
Back on the hard drink
I don't care who you're seeing now
Said it don't worry me , you never mattered anyhow
I stagger round from bar to bar
I drink alone, I'm getting stoned
My friends tell me that I hit it to hard
But thats just the way it is
Back on the hard drugs
Back on the hard drink
Back on the women who keep bringing me down
You know that I, I've got your number to call
But whats the use of phonin
If I'm never home
Baby going crazy alone
Back on the hard drugs
Back on the hard drink
Back on the women who keep bringing me down
You gotta give me all the things that drag me down.
The Screaming Jets's song "Hard Drugs" is a lament about falling back into old habits and vices after a relationship ends. The lyrics describe the singer's descent into a downward spiral of drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity, all in an attempt to numb the pain of losing the person they loved. The repetition of the line "I ain't got nobody to love" underscores the feelings of emptiness and despair that the singer is experiencing. The lyrics also touch on the theme of addiction and how difficult it can be to break free once you've become trapped in its cycle.
The song is both catchy and melancholic, with the melody and guitar riffs combining to create a memorable hook that belies the darker subject matter. The chorus is particularly catchy, with the repetition of the phrase "Back on the hard drugs, back on the hard drink, back on the women who keep bringing me down" punctuating the verses. The vocals are raw and emotional, conveying the pain and frustration that the singer is feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
I ain't got nobody to love
I am feeling lonely and have no one to love
You caught me messin' round all over town
You found out that I've been cheating on you with other women
I didn't need it, I didn't want it
I didn't require or desire the other women, it was just an impulse
I couldn't help it, she just kept going down
I didn't have control over the situation, the other woman kept insisting on it
Now I'm back on the street again
I am feeling lost and without direction
Back on the hard drugs
I am once again using addictive drugs to cope with my problems
Back on the hard drink
I am drinking excessively to forget my issues
Back on the women who keep bringing me down
I am returning to the women who are not good for me and only make my problems worse
I don't care who you're seeing now
I am indifferent to who you are dating currently
Said it don't worry me , you never mattered anyhow
I am saying that you never held significant meaning to me, despite what you may think
I stagger round from bar to bar
I am stumbling aimlessly from one bar to another
I drink alone, I'm getting stoned
I am drinking and taking drugs by myself
My friends tell me that I hit it too hard
My friends are advising me that I am consuming too much alcohol and drugs
But that's just the way it is
Despite my friends' advice, I will continue my current lifestyle
You know that I, I've got your number to call
You are aware that I have your phone number and can call you
But what's the use of phone-in, if I'm never home
I question the point of calling you if I am never available to pick up the phone
Baby, going crazy alone
I am struggling with loneliness
You gotta give me all the things that drag me down.
I am asking you to provide me with everything that weighs me down and causes me to use drugs and alcohol
Contributed by Madison Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Earthy Irwin
on Better
Great work Grant Walmsley