15 Songs Associated with Alcohol to Some Extent | Playlist 🎧

1. Morgan Wallen, “Your Bartender”

💿 Dangerous: The Double Album • 🏷 Big Loud / Republic • 📅 2021

🎵 “Your Bartender” is a highlight from 💿 Dangerous: The Double Album, the 2021 sophomore album by country standout 🎙 Morgan Wallen. Written hypothetically, Wallen asserts everything he’d be and do for her (his love interest).

Wallen caps things off by his role at the bar: “If I was your bartender / I’d mix ‘em up strong in a tall blender.”  Of course, you would Morgan. Within Dangerous, “Your Bartender” ranks among the best-produced tracks (🎛 Joey Moi and 🎛 Matt Dragstrem). Drink up! 🍺

Also appears on 🔽:

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2. Morgan Wallen, “This Bar”

💿 Dangerous: The Double Album • 🏷 Big Loud / Republic • 📅 2021

“Those nights what I would give for one more Bud Light.” On 🎵 “This Bar”, another standout from 💿 Dangerous: The Double Album gracing this alcohol-associated list, 🎙 Morgan Wallen continues to be country to the core, for the better on this highlight. Instrumentally, “This Bar” is full-on rhythmic machine, carried by banjo, guitars, and of course, pummeling drums.  Wallen is potent and gritty, continuing to flaunt the twang as he narrativizes the bar.

Like most of Dangerous, he’s emotional and sings with incredible expressiveness. While the alcohol is potent, “This Bar” is indeed more than alcoholic consumption, best exemplified by the catchy chorus:

“I found myself in this bar
Making mistakes and making new friends
Us growing up and nothing made sense
Buzzing all night like neon in the dark
I found myself in this.”

3. Taylor Swift, “Champagne problems”

💿 Evermore • 🏷 Taylor Swift • 🗓 2020 

“Dom Pérignon, you brought it / No crowd of friends applauded / Your hometown skeptics called it / Champagne problems.”  Ah, that could only be the genius of 🏆 Grammy-winning superstar 🎙 Taylor Swift!  Specifically, that’s the sheer excellence of 🎵 “Champagne problems,” a highlight from Swift’s second surprise album of 2020, 💿 Evermore.

On “Champagne Problems,” Taylor Swift delivers lovely vocals, that perfectly fit the folksy aesthetic. No big vocals chocked-full of elaborate runs are necessary.  Here, the listener is given delicious, harmonized vocals, with piano serving as the primary accompaniment within the background.  The songwriting, as demonstrated above, speaks for itself, with a relatively familiar, relatable topic.  Also, worth noting, Swift is definitely ‘loose’ when she sings, “‘She would’ve made such a lovely bride / What a shame she’s fucked in the head,’ they said.” Damn those “Champagne problems!”

4. Kid Cudi, “Tequila Shots”

💿 Man on the Moon III: The Chosen • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2020

“Lotta shit is weighin’ on me, it’s a storm / Never thought I would be back here bleeding,” 🎙 Kid Cudi raps on the second verse of 🎵 “Tequila Shots,” continuing, “I’m not just some sad dude / You can see my life, how I grew, I want serenity.”  Heavy, thought-provoking, and very much characteristic of the rapper. 🎵 “Tequila Shots” appears as the second track from 💿 Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, his seventh studio album released in December 2020. “Tequila Shots” features sleek production courtesy of Cudi, 🎛 Dot Da Genius, 🎛 Dennis Cummings, and 🎛 Take A Daytrip.

“Tequila Shots” sounds quite modern – very 2020s. Even so, it also plays to the strengths of Cudi, whose career began in the late aughts. The centerpiece is the utterly infectious, melodic chorus:

“Hm, hear me now, hey
This time I’m ready for it
Can’t stop this war in me
...This fight, this war in me
This fight, this war in me, in me, in me.” 

5. Lana Del Rey, “Bartender”

💿 Norman Fucking Rockwell! • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2019

“‘Cause they don’t yet know what car I drive / I’m just tryna keep my love alive / With my bartender, hold me all night.” 🎵 “Bartender” isn’t the crowning achievement of 💿 Norman Fucking Rockwell!, but it’s quite alluring, nonetheless.  Something quite telling is how 🏆 Grammy-nominated artist 🎙 Lana Del Rey refers to her own life (seemingly).

This includes escaping fame (“Photo-free exits from baby’s bedside / ‘Cause they don’t yet know what care I drive”), avoiding alcohol (“But that Cherry Coke you serve is fine”), and of course, a relationship with an unnamed bartender (“And our love’s sweet enough on the vine / Bartender”). Del Rey wrote “Bartender” alongside her frequent collaborator, 🎼✍ Rick Nowels, who also produced the track.

Also appears on 🔽:

🔗 🎧 Bartender: 3BOPS No. 3 (2021) 

6. Luke Bryan, “One Margarita”

💿 Born Here Live Here Die Here • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 2020

“One margarita, two margarita, three margarita, shot / Don’t worry ‘bout tomorrow / Leave all your sorrow out here on the floatin’ dock.” Every genre of music has its fair share of cliches.  With country music, alcoholic consumption definitely tops the list of predictable themes – UNDERSTATEMENT.  Middle-aged country singer 🎙 Luke Bryan has never been a stranger to singing about or partaking in alcohol. On 🎵 “One Margarita” (💿 Born Here Live Here Die Here), he opts for margaritas 🍸 as opposed to beer 🍺.  Such a contrast, Luke!

The silver lining is that the production is high budget.  Also, you can argue that Bryan has laid to rest that horrendous pop-crossover sound, embracing country.  Still, the sound of “One Margarita” isn’t the issue though – it’s the abysmal songwriting and utter corniness our ears are unfortunately subjected to. His sound is heavy on twang, which might tickle some folks’ fancies, but personally, “It’s a NO for me dawg.” He does nothing drastically different from anything he’s done in the past. This is your beached-out, spring break joint from a man approaching his mid-40s

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7. Miranda Lambert, “Tequila Does”

💿 Wildcard • 🏷 Vanner / Sony • 📅 2019 

“With a blonde señorita / And a tall margarita 🍸 / We danced on the tables all night,” 🏆 Grammy-winning country artist, 🎙 Miranda Lambert sings. She finishes off the first verse of 🎵 “Tequila Does,” asserting, “Then I said, ‘Adiós’ / Casamigos is taking me home tonight.” Oh snap!

🎵 “Tequila Does” marks one of the best songs from her 2019 studio album,  💿 Wildcard.  Besides those unique lyrics, during the verse section, the tempo is slow and unhurried, set in a lilting, compound duple meter (also possibly heard as a quicker triple meter 🤓).  During the chorus, the pace is quicker, shifting to good old common time.  Maybe it’s because consuming drinks is more straightforward… just speculating! In the context of both her album and career, the chorus marks another winner for Lambert:

“‘Cause he don’t love me like tequila does
Nobody can
He don’t give me that border town buzz
Like tequila does.”

8. Luke Combs, “Beer Never Broke My Heart”

💿 What You See is What You Get • 🏷 River House Artists, LLC / Sony Music Entertainment • 📅 2019

“Longneck ice-cold beer never broke my heart / Likin’ diamond rings and football teams have torn this boy apart… / And longneck ice-cold beer never broke my heart.” 🎙 Luke Combs indulges in BEER 🍺 as his drink of choice – at least when it comes too 🎵 “Beer Never Broke My Heart”, which appears on his 2019 sophomore album, 💿 What You See is What You Get. Love, politicians, and sports teams have all messed him up, but never that glorious substance known as beer.  It shouldn’t come as a surprise – country musicians have notorious love for beer.

Luke Combs keeps it relatively tight on “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” just inching past three minutes in duration.  Besides a respectable length, he does a fabulous job of maintaining the country music script.  He delivers robust vocals, heavy on twang, and unapologetically country.  Here, Combs is all ‘old-school’ on this straightforward, turned-up, guitar-heavy joint. Perhaps he doesn’t revolutionize country music with this alcoholic joint, but it is rock-solid, period.

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9. Demi Lovato, “Sober”

🎵 “Sober” • 🏷 Island • 📅 2020

“I got no excuses / For all of these goodbyes / Call me when it’s over / ‘Cause I’m dying inside.”  Man, 🎙 Demi Lovato, 🎵 “Sober” is a heavy single.  In the past, Lovato had a history of substance abuse, specifically alcohol and cocaine.  With the arrival of this 2018 single, she informed the world of her relapse.

From the start, her authenticity and sincerity are never disputable.  The aforementioned lyrics, excerpted from the first verse, depict her emotional state of mind.  On the second verse, she apologizes to her future lover, past lover, and her fans for her bad choices, closing out the verse singing, “But I’m only human.” Clearly, throughout this piano ballad, she’s disappointed that she’s allowed herself to return to her own destructive ways.  “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know why / I do it every, every, every time,” she sings on the pre-chorus.  On the chorus, she’s her most vulnerable.

“Momma, I’m so sorry I’m not sober anymore
And daddy, please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor
To the ones who never left me
We’ve been down this road before
I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore
I’m not sober anymore.”

10. Thomas Rhett, “Beer Can’t Fix”

Ft. Jon Pardi

💿 Center Point Road • 🏷 Big Machine • 📅 2019

“It could be rainin’ on your perfect vacation / You could be stressed about your work situation / Ain’t gotta listen to me, but all I’m sayin’ / Ain’t nothing that a beer can’t fix.” 🎙 Thomas Rhett is definitely NOT your father’s country musician.  Rhett is among the new breed of country musicians willing to experiment and integrate and fuse a number of different styles.  His adventurous spirit continues on his 2019 fourth studio album, 💿 Center Point Road.  That said, there are some things that never change regarding country music – a love for the “al-al-al-al-al-alcohol”! That’s where 🎵 “Beer Can’t Fix” comes into the picture!

“Beer Can’t Fix” features another country standout, California’s own 🎙 Jon Pardi.  The premise of this crowd-pleasing record is simple – “Ain’t nothing that a beer can’t fix.” No, beer can’t ultimately fix many problems mind you, but it does provide some atonement according to Rhett and Pardi.  I’m onboard! If nothing else, this blatantly countrified joint is a pleasure to listen to.

11. Maroon 5, “Whiskey”

Ft. A$AP Rocky

💿 Red Pill Blues • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2017

🎙 Maroon 5 fit right into the alcohol-driven nature of this playlist.  🎵 “Whiskey” appears on the band’s sixth studio album, 💿 Red Pill Blues, which was released in 2017. After opening with mysterious piano accompaniment, “Whiskey” moves along slowly, but surely. 🎙 Adam Levine offers a cool and poised performance throughout, never breaking a sweat. Even with such restrained production work – a minimalist vibe – a catchy chorus plays in the band’s favor.

“Leaves are fallin’, it’s September
The night came in and made her shiver
I told her she could have my jacket
Wrapped it tight around her shoulders
And I was so young ‘til she kissed me
Like a whiskey, like a whiskey.”

As the chorus suggest, as well as the verses, this is all about young love and heartbreak. 🎙 A$AP Rocky arrives for the third verse, using various alcohol to discuss love, good and bad.

“I ain’t like the other Cognacs
Or type of cat that’d never call back
Or lose contact when you runnin’ out of rum and you make a run...
All of that tequila’s a killer, little vodka…”

Also appears on 🔽:

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12. Dan + Shay, “Tequila”

💿 Dan + Shay • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2018

🎵 “Tequila” checks off an obligatory box for 🏆 Grammy-winning country duo 🎙 Dan + Shay on their 2017 💿 self-titled album. That box this is checked off being the unsaid alcoholic requirements for any country album – beer, liquor, tequila, whiskey, etc.  Alcoholic “Tequila” may be, in the context of Dan + Shay, it’s a fine follow-up to the opening record, 🎵 “Alone Together.” But, let’s focus on the alcohol, shall we? 

In addition to mentioning tequila, 🎙 Dan Smyers and 🎙 Shay Mooney also reference whiskey and scotch – of course they do – I told you, it’s a country album requirement peeps! “Tequila” is a relatively modern-sounding country record, though nothing too left of center.  The premise of the record is that the tequila reminds the duo “How bad I need ya.”  So, there’s love involved on this T song in addition to drink – sweet!

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13. Kendrick Lamar, “Swimming Pools (Drank)”

💿 Good Kid M.A.A.D. City • 🏷 Aftermath / Interscope • 📅 2012

🎵 “Swimming Pools (Drank)” is among the many attractions from 💿 Good Kid M.A.A.D. City, the massively successful, 🏆 Grammy-nominated 2012 album by 🎙 Kendrick Lamar. Here, 🎛 T-Minus delivers exceptional production work.

As for K-Dot, well, he manages to tie swimming pools and alcohol together in an incredible and cohesive manner:

“Nigga why you babysittin’ only two or three shots?
I’mma show you how to turn it up a notch
First you get a swimming pool full of liquor, then you dive in it
Pool full of liquor, then you dive in it...”

One of rap’s best singles of 2012 remains a gem nearly a decade later.

Also appears on 🔽:

🔗 🎧 Swimming… 5ive Songs No. 22 (2020)

14. Ne-Yo, “Champagne Life”

💿 Libra Scale • 🏷 Def Jam • 📅 2010

“It’s all about them fast car nights and them big boat days / Living this champagne life, everything’s okay / Let’s toast it up / Let’s toast it up.” 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B artist 🎙 Ne-Yo commences his fourth studio album, 💿 Libra Scale (2010) with a surefire winner, 🎵 “Champagne Life.” “Champagne Life” finds him living it up, and totally channeling the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Vocally, Ne-Yo sounds both youthful but also beastly, in the most positive way possible! If you want to know what luxury sounds like on the track, well, “Champagne Life” is a perfect realization.  It’s less about the content of the bottles than the vibe of the luxurious, carefree life itself.

“Said we play all night, and we play all day
Living this champagne life, everything’s okay
Let’s toast it up
Baby, let’s toast it up
Oh, champagne life.”

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15. T-Pain, “Bartender”

Ft. Akon

💿 Epiphany • 🏷 Zomba • 📅 2007

“Two hundred bitches in the building ain’t none of them hot / Except for this pretty young thang that was workin’ on the way, at the top.” Back in 2007, 🏆 Grammy-winning, autotune loving R&B singer 🎙 T-Pain fell in love with the 🎵 “Bartender.”  “Bartender” served as one of the biggest hits from his most successful album to date, 💿 Epiphany (the song is second only to 🎵 “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)”.

“Bartender” isn’t profound in the least – “Oh she made us drinks, to drink / We drunk ‘em, got drunk” – but like so much of Epiphany, it’s incredibly fun and totally entertaining. Can’t knock him for wanting to bang the bartender, right? Oh, and by the way, he’s assisted 🎙 Akon.

Also appears on 🔽:

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