Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth

"Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth"
"Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth"
Single by the Dandy Warhols
from the album ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down
Released	June 16, 1997
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	3:11
Label	Capitol; Tim/Kerr;
Songwriter(s)	Courtney Taylor-Taylor
Producer(s)	Tony Lash; Courtney Taylor-Taylor;
The Dandy Warhols singles chronology

"Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" is a song by American rock band the Dandy Warhols. It was released on June 16, 1997, as the first single from their second studio album, ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down.^[2]

Background and content

As documented in the film Dig!, the song is dedicated to the band the Brian Jonestown Massacre, friends and rivals of the Dandy Warhols, who in turn dedicated their own track "Not If You Were the Last Dandy on Earth" to them. Frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor revealed in an interview that the song is also about his girlfriend who he said had become a heroin addict while he was on tour.^[3]

The song is known for its refrain "I never thought you'd be a junkie because heroin is so passé".^[4] Because of this, the song has often been erroneously titled "Heroin Is So Passé", and the song was later subtitled with this in some markets.

Music video

The music video for the song, directed by David LaChapelle,^[5] features the group "playing among a troupe of dancing syringes" and was called an "arch, playful, taboo-shredding hoot" by Mojo.^[3]

Release

"Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" was released in 1997 as the second single from ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and number 31 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Track listings

All tracks were written and composed by Courtney Taylor-Taylor except where indicated.

UK CD1^[6]

"Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth"
"Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" (live)
"It's a Fast Drivin' Rave Up with the Dandy Warhols Sixteen Minutes" (live) (Taylor-Taylor, Eric Hedford, Peter Holmström) – 7:17

UK CD2^[7]

"Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth"
"Genius" (live)
"Ride" (live)

UK 7-inch single^[8]

A. "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth"

B. "Genius" (live)

Australian CD single^[9]

"Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth (Heroin Is So Passé)" – 3:12
"One (Ultra Lame White Boy)" – 3:10
"Head" – 3:16

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth"
Chart (1997–1998)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[10]	47
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[11]	73
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[12]	98
Scotland (OCC)^[13]	12
UK Singles (OCC)^[14]	13
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[15]	31

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth"
Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	June 16, 1997	Rock radio	Capitol Tim/Kerr	^{[citation needed]}
United Kingdom	April 20, 1998	7-inch vinyl CD	Capitol Tim/Kerr	^[16]

References

^ Brian Galindo, Alex Naidus & Ryan Creed (November 5, 2023). "37 Alt Rock Songs You Haven't Thought About Since The Late '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
^ Reece, Doug (June 14, 1997). "Capitol Betting Dandy Warhols Still 'Rule OK' on 'Come Down'". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2020 – via Google Books.
^ ^a ^b John Harris (June 2003). "Phone Home". Mojo. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
^ Byrne, Ciar (November 23, 2005). "How to get ahead in music: Make an ad!". Artists whose tracks are used in television adverts often find instant fame and riches after years of obscurity, while having to face accusations of selling out. London: The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
^ Rathe, Adam (May 31, 2012). "A Brief History of David LaChapelle's Music Videos". BlackBook. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
^ Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth (UK CD1 liner notes). The Dandy Warhols. Capitol Records, Tim/Kerr Records. 1998. CDCL 800, 7243 8 85564 2 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth (UK CD2 liner notes). The Dandy Warhols. Capitol Records, Tim/Kerr Records. 1998. CDCLS 800, 7243 8 85565 2 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth (UK 7-inch single sleeve). The Dandy Warhols. Capitol Records, Tim/Kerr Records. 1998. CL 800, 7243 8 85565 7 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth (Australian CD single liner notes). The Dandy Warhols. Capitol Records, Tim/Kerr Records. 1998. 8849822.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "The Dandy Warhols – Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 19. May 9, 1998. p. 14. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
^ "The Dandy Warhols – Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
^ "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. September 6, 1997. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. April 18, 1998. p. 27.