Comprised of 11 new, original songs all written and produced by Citizen Cope - AKA Clarence Greenwood - Heroin & Helicopters marks a return to Cope s grassroots approach to musicianship, one that is colored by hard work, hustle and heart, irrespective of the obstacles he s encountered throughout his more than 25 years as a career artist. Citizen Cope came up with the title Heroin & Helicopters after an encounter with Carlos Santana, who has been a Citizen Cope fan since before their 2002 collaboration on his rework of the Cope song Sideways. Santana was at a Citizen Cope show at San Francisco's Fillmore when he told Cope to "stay away from the two H s - heroin and helicopters," saying both had fatal results for people in music. To Cope, the quote reflected a larger pattern in society - a metaphor for addiction and instant gratification, both themes that thread throughout the record. The album tackles Cope s personal struggles with religion, political manipulation, hollowness in the entertainment world, and spiritual enlightenment, as he contends with his own role in those societal institutions.