So here it is, the top ten Booze-o songs revealed!!!! (and a few of them seem to be as requested too)
Originally posted on facebook, December 2010
10 - Tubthumping – Chumbawumba
I have absolutely no idea what this song is about, or indeed what the title means, but it’s a very catchy track, from “I get knocked down but I get up again” line, through to the drinking references. A great bit of pop/rock from the nineties.
“Pissin' the night away, He drinks a whiskey drink, He drinks a vodka drink, He drinks a lager drink, He drinks a cider drink”
9 – Tequila – The Champs
What a memorable piece of instrumental music this track is? It probably needs no introduction. And no doubt, no matter where it is played, the crowd will always be ready to chant “tequila” at the appropriate time.
“Tequila”
8 - Streams of Whiskey – The Pogues
From the Pogues debut album, “Red Roses for Me”, this is classic Pogues. The song is actually a tribute to Irish poet and notorious drinker Brendan Behan.
“When the world is too dark and I need the light inside of me, I'll go into a bar and drink fifteen pints of beer, I am going, I am going, Any which way the wind may be blowing, I am going, I am going, Where streams of whiskey are flowing”
7 - Paycheques – Tex, Don and Charlie.
I picked up a Tex Perkins best of, which contains tracks from all aspects of his career, including the Tex, Don and Charlie collaboration (being Cold Chisel’s Don Walker and guitarist Charlie Owens). Aside from the tracks that I already knew, the Tex, Don and Charlie stuff stood out to me, and this track in particular. I love the witty line that I have listed below, which is repeated several times through the song.
“on weekends I perform miracles, I turn paycheques into wine, One working weeks' wage at a time”
6 - Rehab – Amy Winehouse.
How could we not include an artist with a surname "Winehouse" on the list? I probably could have picked many tracks from Winehouse’s second album “Back to Black”. But this one, the most well known, is the stand out. The song is retro sounding, with Winehouse’s booming voice conveying a bit of attitude.
“They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no"”
5 - Pass the Flagon – The Whitlams.
From the excellent Whitlams album “Undeniably the Whitlams”, this track features Stevie Plunder on vocals. Plunder was the groups guitarist who passed away before the band had their success. In this catchy ditty with a bit of country twang to it, Plunder sings about turning to the flagon to try and erase the memories of a woman.
“So pass the flagon down the line, It don't taste bad for such cheap wine”
4 - The Nips are Getting Bigger – Mental as Anything
A great Aussie rock group that usually keep their tongue firmly planted in their cheek, they manage to sing songs that are witty, but much better than a novelty song. Like many on this list, they could very easily have had other tracks on this list, but this song certainly fits the bill. The band sing about starting off drinking beer before moving on to drinking Jamaican rum. Great track.
“Sometimes I wonder, What all these chemicals, Are doin' to my brain, Doesn't worry me enough, To stop me from doin' it agai-ai-ain”
3 - A Pub with No Beer – Slim Dusty
Unlike the other tracks on this list that are focusing on the act of drinking, this song focuses on the shambolic impact that not being able to drink has! An anxious publican, a sober blacksmith that has to go home to his wife early, a cranky maid, a dry stockman, a tired swagman, a nervous dog awaiting for his master, they are all in this track. A masterpiece in the tradition of storytelling.
“there's-a nothing so lonesome, morbid or drear, than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer”
2 - I Gotta Get Drunk – Little Willies
The Little Willies were a side project of songbird Norah Jones. Norah teamed up with a few of her friends to record a country music album, featuring a mixture of covers and original. This song is a cover of a Willie Nelson song. Norah’s version though is really enjoyable, and her voice does suit country music surprisingly well.
“There's a lot of doctors that tell me that I'd better start slowin' it down, But there's more old drunks than there are old doctors, So I guess we'd better have another round”
1 - Me and My Friend – Bob Evans
The untitled hidden track at the end of Bob’s second album “Suburban Songbook”, this song gets my vote as the best drinking/alcohol themed song. I think the reason why this one works so well for me is just how much I can relate to it. For me, most of the time that I spend drinking is really just to catch up with friends, and be more of a social experience. This theme I think is encapsulated perfectly in the lyrics to this song. It truly is a wonderful song.
As it might not be as well known as some of the other songs listed, I have put the lyrics in full below. I hope you enjoy it.
Me and my friend are walking to a bar on a cool winters evening underneath the stars
We'll find somewhere close we don't want to walk far
Nor do we want the hassle of a car
I'll order whisky and they'll order beer
The gourmet selection's intimidating here and sometimes what you know is the best way to steer
I say this ones my shout and my friend says cheers
This is some new joint that we've never been
Two lovers are fighting and making a scene
Some guy's setting up a karaoke machine
Let's find somewhere different where the carpet ain't clean
Me and my friend are walking to a bar on a cool winters evening underneath the stars
And we'll find somewhere new we don't want to walk far nor waste drinking money on a taxi car
My friends addicted to their mobile phone and they're constantly messaging someone back home with some inner fear of being alone
So for a short while my thoughts are my own
Walking round the corner a pub is in sight
Up there on the left just past those lights
We've been there before yeah that place is alright
Let's pull up a stool and settle in for the night
I love my friends I hope they love me too cos sometimes there is nothing better to do
Than to go out and get stuck in to a few
I'm gonna spend my time with a good friend like you
So there you have it, my second musical list down….keep the comments coming, and I will keep the lists coming.
And, I should also sign off the booze-o’s list by saying Cheers, Prost!, Bottoms Up, Slainte, Zum Wohl, L’Chaim, 'Op uw gezondheid', or whatever it is you choose to say!!
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