Almost Hits: Steppenwolf - The Pusher (1968)
It should come as no surprise to those of you who know the song that Steppenwolf's "The Pusher" is among the more controversial rock records in history. It was released in 1968 on the hard rocking quintet's debut album - and for reasons we'll be discussing here - the backlash it received because of its lyrics overshadowed its powerful, well-meaning message. The song was written by multi-talented Hoyt Axton (1938 - 1999), who found success in Hollywood as a folk singer, a composer and as an actor. Axton suffered from a cocaine addiction that he was fortunate enough to overcome, but he was also a big proponent of medical marijuana. The composer wrote a lot of songs in addition to "The Pusher." Among them are "No-No Song," another anti-drug track made famous when it became a hit for Ringo Starr off of his Goodnight Vienna LP. The Kingston Trio recorded Axton's ...