Feel Good Hit Of The Summer

The lyrics are a list of drugs: nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy, and alcohol, punctuated by a stuttering "C-c-c-c-c-cocaine." Band mainstays Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri wrote the song; Oliveri said that the lyric refers to their ingest on one particularly unhealthy day.

Josh Homme came up with that distinctive vocal melody, which may have been influenced by a 1985 song called "Apathy" by the British punk band Subhumans where they rattle off a similar list (drink, sex, cigarettes...). "It's not stolen from, but it's definitely an 'inspired by,'" Nick Oliveri told Songfacts. "It's a list of things like that on it." Oliveri adds: "It's a great song. Fantastic. I think the drumbeat was a Josh idea. The bass follows that drumbeat, and I don't know who came up with putting the kick in between the march, but wow, did it turn out cool. For a two-note song, it's quite amazing. I think it's a great song."

Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford is one of the vocalists on "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer," singing on the beginning part of the list ("Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin...") starting with the second verse. They tried him out screaming the "Cocaine!" part, but Josh Homme wanted the "more sinister Rob" more appropriate for the beginning of the list. The collaboration wasn't planned: Halford was working in the same studios on the Resurrection album for his band Halford. Queens Of The Stone Age producer Chris Goss approached him and asked if he'd jump on the song, and he agreed. When they showed Halford the lyrics, he said, "A Rock And Roll cocktail, I know this one." Ordinarily, appearances by star performers need to go through proper channels with lots of paperwork and record company intervention, but Halford just did it. "I remember being in there and Rob Halford being super-cool to us," Nick Oliveri told Songfacts. "We asked him, 'Hey, what do you want to be credited as?' He goes, 'Just put down 'vocals by the Metal God,'' and he walked out!"