Starting off with an echoey, sinister-sounding dobro solo, “Get High” tells the story of a jaded housewife and her longing to escape her mundane marriage and restrictive routine by smoking cannabis.

The song’s subject matter and writing style is typical of Brandy Clark, whose songs commonly focus on the “dark comedy” of everyday struggles and the unhealthy coping mechanisms (often sex, alcohol, and drugs) that plague the victims of these struggles. “Get High,” in particular, was inspired by the real-life story of a peer who Brandy had graduated high school with.

Standing out as one of very few songs in Brandy’s discography to be written solely by her, Brandy has admitted that she originally wrote the song just to “entertain herself,” and that in terms of convincing other artists to record the unorthodox work, “nobody would touch it.” The song, however, accumulated extra significance after Brandy’s frequent and trusted co-writer Shane McAnally complimented “Get High” as being her “best song.” The song remains a staple in Brandy’s live sets, even nine years after its initial release.