| "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,[1] 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.[2][3] 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.[3]