Snowblind (Styx song)
| "Snowblind" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Styx | |
| from the album Paradise Theatre | |
| A-side | "Rockin' the Paradise" |
| Released | 1981 |
| Recorded | 1980 |
| Genre | Rock, hard rock |
| Length | 4:58 (album version) 3:52 (single edit) |
| Label | A&M |
| Songwriter(s) | James "J.Y." Young Dennis DeYoung |
"Snowblind" is a song by Styx that appears on the Paradise Theatre album released in 1981. The song is about the helplessness of cocaine addiction, alternating between slow, brooding verses (sung by James Young) and a faster, harder-edged chorus (sung by Tommy Shaw), representing the addict's cycle of highs and lows.
"Snowblind" was written by Dennis DeYoung and Young with uncredited lyrics by Shaw. The single reached #22 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Shaw said of the song in 2011:
I had done some research into those lyrics. Everybody was doing it back then – it's not my excuse, but it was just what you did. If you were going to a party back in those days, cocaine was just one of the things on the menu. I never did heroin, because I thought that meant I was doing heavy drugs, which shows you the insanity of doing drugs. I probably should have done heroin, because I understand heroin actually makes you feel good. Cocaine just makes you stupid.