 The song was subject to a U.S. radio ban shortly after its release , following allegations published in the broadcasting trade journal the Gavin Report regarding perceived drug connotations in its lyrics . The band strenuously denied these allegations at the time , but in later years both Clark and Crosby admitted that the song was at least partly inspired by their own drug use . The failure of " Eight Miles High " to reach the Billboard Top 10 is usually attributed to the broadcasting ban , but some commentators have suggested that the song 's complexity and uncommercial nature were greater factors . 
