Shel Silverstein was a genius, but he was a weird one. Most people know him for The Giving Tree or those line-drawing poetry books that every kid in the 70s and 80s owned, but the guy had a darker, hilariously cynical side that thrived in the music world. He basically built Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show from the ground up with his songwriting. But his greatest trick? Writing a song called The Cover of the Rolling Stone that essentially bullied the most powerful music magazine in the world into putting the band on its front page. It was a meta-commentary before "meta" was a buzzword everyone hated.
They were a bunch of hippies from New Jersey. Seriously. Despite the Southern-fried sound and the pirate-patch aesthetic of Ray Sawyer, these guys were playing the bars around Union City before hitting it big. By 1972, they had a hit with "Sylvia's Mother," but they weren't exactly "cool" in the eyes of the rock elite. They were goofy. They were loud. And they wanted to be on that damn cover.
The Joke That Became a Prophecy
The song is a masterpiece of self-deprecation. It’s not a tribute to the magazine; it’s a list of all the trashy things the band was willing to do to get some validation. Buying five copies for their mothers? Check. Seeing their "smiling faces on the cover of the Rolling Stone"? That was the dream. When the song dropped in late '72, it became a massive hit, peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100.
Here’s the thing. Jann Wenner, the co-founder of Rolling Stone, wasn't exactly known for having a self-deprecating sense of humor. The magazine took itself very seriously. It was the bible of the counterculture. Having a band literally beg—or satirize the act of begging—for a cover spot put the editors in a weird position. If they didn't put Dr. Hook on the cover, they looked like they couldn't take a joke. If they did, they were giving in to a novelty song.
They gave in.
In March 1973, issue number 131, it actually happened. But in true Rolling Stone fashion, they did it with a twist. Instead of a high-fashion photograph by Annie Leibovitz, the band was depicted in a caricature. It was a cartoon. They got what they wanted, but the magazine still got the last laugh by refusing to treat them like "serious" rock stars.
Why Shel Silverstein Was the Secret Weapon
You can’t talk about this song without talking about Shel. He wrote almost everything for the band’s early albums. His lyrics weren't just catchy; they were storytelling masterclasses. He understood the irony of the rock and roll lifestyle better than the people living it.
- He captured the desperation of the "groupies" and the "cocaine" (which they had to bleep out for some radio edits).
- He leaned into the absurdity of a band that looked like a group of wandering carnies.
- The "it’s a beautiful, breath-taking thing" line about the magazine cover? Pure sarcasm.
The song works because it's honest. Every band in 1972 wanted that cover. Most of them pretended they were too cool to care. Dr. Hook just yelled about it over a boozy, country-rock beat. It’s also worth noting that the BBC actually banned the song for a while. Why? Because it mentioned a brand name (Rolling Stone), and the BBC had strict rules against "advertising" in songs. To get around it, some UK radio DJs would shout "The Cover of the Radio Times" over the chorus. It was ridiculous.
The Reality of Being Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
Life on the road for these guys wasn't all cartoons and hit singles. While The Cover of the Rolling Stone made them household names, they were notoriously broke for a long time. Their manager, Ron Haffkine, once noted that the band was essentially a "traveling circus." They spent money as fast as they made it, and their contract with Columbia Records wasn't exactly favoring the artist.
Ray Sawyer, the man with the eye patch, became the face of the band, but Dennis Locorriere was the one doing the heavy lifting on vocals. Locorriere had this incredible, soulful range that could go from a gritty growl to a sweet ballad in a second. This tension—between being a "joke" band and being genuinely talented musicians—defined their entire career.
When you listen to the track now, you can hear the chaos. The spoken-word interludes, the laughing in the background, the sloppy-but-perfect guitar fills. It sounds like a party that’s about to get broken up by the cops. That’s the magic of it. It’s not a polished studio product; it’s a moment in time where a bunch of guys from Jersey finally made it to the big leagues by making fun of the big leagues.
The Legacy of a Satirical Hit
Does the song still hold up? Absolutely. In an era where influencers do anything for a "like" or a "follow," the desperation in the lyrics feels weirdly modern. They were talking about the "thrill that'll getcha when you get your picture," which is basically the 1973 version of going viral.
But there’s a bittersweet layer to it too. After the mid-70s, the band drifted away from the Silverstein-penned satire and moved into more polished, soft-rock territory with hits like "Sexy Eyes" and "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman." They became a disco-adjacent pop act. It paid the bills, but they lost that jagged, rebellious edge that made the Rolling Stone era so special.
If you're looking to understand the era, you have to look at the other bands on the charts at the time. You had Pink Floyd releasing The Dark Side of the Moon and Led Zeppelin doing Houses of the Holy. Everything was getting heavy, conceptual, and slightly pretentious. Dr. Hook was the antidote. They were the guys in the back of the class throwing spitballs.
What You Should Take Away From the Dr. Hook Story
If you're a musician or a creator today, there’s actually a lesson here. Authenticity is a buzzword that gets thrown around a lot, but Dr. Hook's "authenticity" came from admitting they were sellouts. They leaned into the commercial desire of the industry so hard that it looped back around to being cool.
- Stop trying to be "cool." The moment Dr. Hook admitted they wanted fame, they got it.
- Find a collaborator who challenges the norm. Without Shel Silverstein, this band would have been a footnote in a New Jersey bar history book.
- Humor is a weapon. It’s much harder to criticize a band that is already making fun of themselves.
The "smiling faces" did eventually fade from the spotlight. Ray Sawyer passed away in 2018, and the various iterations of the band have spent years in legal battles over the name. It’s the classic rock and roll story: a meteoric rise, a lot of laughs, a cover of a magazine, and a long, slow descent into nostalgia circuits.
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But for three minutes and forty seconds, they were the biggest thing in the world. They proved that you could prank your way to the top of the mountain. If you haven't listened to the track lately, go back and find a high-quality version. Listen to the way Locorriere delivers the lines. It’s not just a joke; it’s a brilliant piece of pop songwriting that managed to manipulate the gatekeepers of culture into doing exactly what the song asked for.
To dig deeper into this era of music, check out the 1973 archives of Rolling Stone magazine or look into Shel Silverstein's discography—specifically his work with Bobby Bare. You’ll find that the "Dr. Hook sound" was actually part of a much larger, weirder movement of "outlaw" storytelling that prioritized character over perfection.
Check out the original music video or live performances from the early 70s to see the energy they brought. It wasn't just about the song; it was about the spectacle. Seeing Sawyer jump around with that tambourine explains more about their success than any chart statistic ever could. That's the real story of how a joke became a career.
Actionable Next Steps:
Listen to the 1972 studio version of the song and pay attention to the "crawling" guitar lick—it’s a perfect example of the "Medicine Show" style. Then, find the March 29, 1973, cover of Rolling Stone online to see the caricature for yourself. It’s a rare moment where the industry's biggest critics were forced to join the party.