Originally posted on facebook, December 2010
Hi all. Thanks for the comments etc on the blues list that I posted earlier, so now its time for the next list.
Whenever I come home after going out for a drinks, or even when I have a drink at home, my wife likes to jokingly (I hope) refer to me as a booze-o. So given that the festive season is approaching, and tis the season for Christmas parties and the like, I thought it would be timely to present a booze-o’s top twenty tracks. It’s a fairly common subject in the world of music, so plenty of tracks to pick from. In addition, my friend Jeremy has just lent me a bunch of Tom Waits CD’s to listen to, and given Tom’s reputation, I think I am going to be hearing a lot more about this topic once I give them a spin!!
Please note that I am in no way condoning excessive consumption of alcohol, and if you are going to have lots of drinks this festive season, make sure you get someone else to drive.
When I discuss each track, I have also included a quote of the song lyrics.
Before we kick off the list, the first word needs to go to the great philosopher himself, Homer J Simpson: “When I was 17, I drank a very good beer, I drank some very good beer I purchased with a fake ID. My name was Brian McGee. I stayed up listening to Queen, When I was 17” ....hehehe...and now to the list.
20 - Nick Teen and Al K Hall – Rolf Harris.
A bit of a silly song to start with really. I know he’s a bit daggy, but I do like some of Rolf’s stuff for a bit of light hearted relief.
“So I said to Al, 'Al, be a pal, what do you really think?' He said to me, 'Boy, easy to see boy, smoking's kid's stuff, pour yourself a drink.' ….So quick as a wink, I took a drink, swigged a glassful down.First it seemed to hit me, then it turned around and bit me, And everything went all spinning round.”
19 - Red Red Wine – ub40
Continuing with the daggy theme, here is UB40 with their ode to red wine. I don’t have any of their albums, but they make frequent appearances on compilation CD’s, which is where I have this song.
“Red red wine I love you right from the start, Right from the start with all of my heart “
18 - One for My Baby (and one more for the road) – Frank Sinatra.
So from a novelty song, to British reggae, to crooning of the Chairman of the Board, Mr Sinatra. This is a nice little song, often covered, but to me, it almost has a bit of a sleazy bar-room feel to it.
“We’re drinking my friend, To the end of a brief episode, So make it one for my baby, And one more for the road”
17 - My Pal Alcohol. – Slim Dusty
I certainly am moving around genres in this list (alcohol knows no boundaries!!). Australia’s country music legend comes in at number 17, with his ode to alcohol, a straightforward little country song.
“good hard liquor is what I take, And my pal alcohol I love you so”
16 -Death of a Clown – Kinks
The Kinks are a great British band, and in this track Dave Davis sings all about a fading clown. It’s a lovely little song, and there is a lot more going on in this track than purely a drinking song.
“ I’m drowning my sorrows in whiskey and gin…So let's all drink to the death of a clown”
15 - All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow
Those that know me will know that I am a fan of Sheryl Crow’s music, and this is probably her most well known track. If this list was purely on the best song, this would be much higher in the list, but others to come represent the topic better. Nevertheless, all the action in this song takes place in a bar, where Sheryl and her drinking buddy are watching the surrounds, as they consume their drinks. It really is a great song.
“I like a good beer buzz early in the morning”
14 - Piano Man – Billy Joel
So, we move from Crow’s barroom story, to another song that is set in a bar. And what a song this one is. Once again, if this list was purely ranked on the best song, you wouldn’t see this one languishing at position 14. From start to finish, its just an amazing track, with all the characters in the bar described so well that you can instantly get a feel for what that bar would be like.
The other thing about this song, is that a lot of people associate the song with me (some will know exactly what I mean here, others will find that comment a bit cryptic), so there is no way I could make this list and not include Piano Man.
“Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness, But it's better than drinkin' alone”
13 - Whiskey, You’re the Devil – The Pogues.
When it comes to songs about alcohol, there are some artists that you would expect to feature prominently, and the Pogues are certainly one of them. If you are not familiar with them, they were an Irish rock group that sort of combined traditional Irish folk with the punk movement, the end result being a unique sound that is brilliant. In this track, they even take some lyrics from the traditional folk song “Whiskey in the Jar” and blend it into this song. Great, great stuff.
“Whiskey, you're the devil, you're leadin' me astray”
12 - Cheap Wine – Cold Chisel.
So, from the Irish sounds of the Pogues, we move to the Aussie rock of Cold Chisel. Although this song has been done to death on classic rock style radio stations, you can’t deny its suitability for this list, with the lyrics discussing things like sitting on the beach drinking rocket fuel, a concoction of Bacardi, vodka and tequila.
“I'm another world away, But I always feel at home, with my, Cheap wine and a three-day growth”
11 - Alabama Song – The Doors
A great song from the Doors debut album, I was surprised to learn that it is not an original, and it actually has its origins in German opera. That said, it sounds nothing like an opera at all, and when Jim Morrison sings the classic line below, you know he means it! The keyboards really make it a great catchy tune though.
“Well, show me the way, To the next whisky bar”
So there, you have it, part one of my look at drinking/alcohol songs. Please post any comments, thoughts, theories, suggestions, omissions, anything you like, and I will reveal my top ten, probably tomorrow...
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