Playlist for "Get in the Swing With OxyContin" CD?

October 31, 2021 10:33 AM

Accounts of the opioid epidemic describing the pharmaceutical marketing mention a CD that was distributed to doctors titled "Get in the Swing With OxyContin." What was on this disk? So far all I can find is '1950s dance music.'

Here's a sample quote from a .gov web-site:

branded promotional items such as OxyContin fishing hats, stuffed plush toys, and music compact discs ("Get in the Swing With OxyContin")

...were distributed to health care professionals.

Previous threads in the blue concerning OxyContin marketing by Purdue Pharma: Oxycontin, the pill of Pain (2012) and The Perfect Recipe for Addiction (2016)

posted by Rash to Media & Arts (2 answers total)

According to an image in this The Atlantic article, the CD (or another like it) was called "Swing Is Alive: Swing In The Right Direction with Oxycontin."
posted by zamboni at 10:56 AM on October 31, 2021 [2 favorites]

This excerpt from Sam Quinones' Dreamland states that the CD contained "ten big band tunes, including Count Basie's 'One O'Clock Jump' and 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' by the Andrews Sisters."

This MCA CD - also called "Swing is Alive" - has the following track listing of ten songs, including both named by Quinones:

1 Woody Herman And His Orchestra–Woodchopper's Ball
2 The Andrews Sisters– Boogie Boogie Bugle Boy
3 Les Brown–I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
4 Duke Ellington–Mood Indigo
5 Bob Crosby–Skater's Waltz In Swingtime
6 Stan Kenton–Gambler's Blues
7 Gordon Jenkins–I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
8 The Benny Goodman Orchestra*–Fascinating Rythm
9 Jimmy Dorsey And His Orchestra–Tangerine
10 Count Basie–One O'clock Jump

My guess is that Purdue Pharma licensed the CD from MCA and put a different insert into the jewel box for their marketing materials.
posted by googly at 11:45 AM on October 31, 2021 [16 favorites]