"(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River" was the first single to be released off Machiavelli and the Four Seasons (1995) by Australian alternative rock band TISM.
The title never appears in the song, and due to this, it is commonly (though incorrectly) referred to as "I'm On the Drug That Killed River Phoenix". The title references the play Show Boat and the famous song Ol' Man River, indicating that River Phoenix will never be an "ol' man" because he died at age 23 of a drug overdose.
It is arguably TISM's most popular track, or at least, most well known, as it reached #9 in Triple J's 1995 Hottest 100, one number ahead of Greg! The Stop Sign!!. It is also the only TISM song to reach the singles chart in Australia, peaking at number 23.
In 2002, the band performed the song on John Safran's Music Jamboree with traditional Greek instruments and slightly different lyrics.
Read more about (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River: Song, Controversy, Track List, See Also
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