10 Awesome Country Drinking Songs
A wide range of people enjoys drinking. For proof, see how there are drinking songs of every single musical genre. Even so, country singers seem to have a particular fondness for their drinks, as shown by the countless country drinking songs that have been released and continue to be released. Most aren’t very memorable. However, some are capable of standing among the best of the best
10. “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” – Hank Williams, Jr.
Football fans should be very familiar with this song. After all, a reworked version served as the theme song for Monday Night Football from 1989 to 2011. That was when Hank Williams, Jr. made a very controversial comment about U.S. politics. Another reworked version was reinstated as the theme song of Monday Night Football in 2017. This was performed by Williams, Jr. plus both Florida Georgia Line and Jason Derulo.
9. “Drinkin’ Beer and Wastin’ Bullets” – Luke Bryan
This song has one of those names that make it very clear what people can expect. The viewpoint character is someone who is out on the hunt. Unfortunately, he has had no luck whatsoever. In part, this is because the viewpoint character is so drunk that stationary targets seem like they are moving to him. The bigger issue is that he just hasn’t run into anything even though the night is almost upon him.
8. “The More I Drink” – Blake Shelton
“The More I Drink” earns points for honesty. It is centered on a character who is drinking Coca-Cola at a bar while everyone else is drinking alcohol because he is very aware that he can’t control his alcohol consumption. The song goes into amusing detail about how the character’s sense of judgment would deteriorate if that were to happen.
7. “Alcohol” – Brad Paisley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3zkkLckeyM
Speaking of which, Brad Paisley’s “Alcohol” is another song about the effects of drinking on people. Unsurprisingly, it isn’t shy when it comes to listing the negatives. Despite that, “Alcohol” brings up some positives as well, thus making for a much more ambivalent mood than otherwise possible.
6. “White Lightning” – George Jones
Most people should be able to guess what “White Lightning” is referring to in this context. If not, the term is slang for moonshine, which is associated with the American South for various reasons. George Jones’ “White Lightning” describes some of his father’s experiences with making and selling the stuff. It was far from being his first song. Nonetheless, it did a great deal to launch his career by being his first number one song.
5. “Red Solo Cup” – Toby Keith
Amusingly, “Red Solo Cup” isn’t about alcohol. Instead, it is about the cup used to hold the alcohol on every occasion. This song has a real sense of fun to it because it is fundamentally about a man declaring his cup to be his friend at quite some length.
4. “Drinking Alone” – Carrie Underwood
Sometimes, it is fun to drink with other people. Other times, it is better to drink on our own so that we can wallow a bit in our misery. There is nothing wrong with either course of action so long as nothing is done to excess. After all, misery is just an expected part of the human experience, meaning that it is best to get it over with rather than put it off. Just as how there are drinking songs for the first, there are drinking songs for the second. Carrie Underwood’s “Drinking Alone” is an excellent example of the latter, which is perhaps unsurprising considering its name.
3. “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” – Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett
Moving on, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” is an interesting mix of both positive and negative. On the one hand, it treats alcohol as something that can soothe; on the other hand, it treats alcohol as something that can soothe because there is something that needs to be soothed. It is very easy to relate to the song. Whether they went through with it or not, everyone has had moments when they just wanted to walk away from a difficult situation so that they can find something to make themselves feel better about it.
2. “Whiskey River” – Willie Nelson
There are countless songs about people using alcohol as a way to handle a broken relationship. As such, it takes something special to stand out from the pack. “Whiskey River” fits the criteria. Originally, it was sung by Johnny Bush. Nowadays, it tends to be more associated with Willie Nelson, who first covered it on Willie and Family Live. Just the song’s name is enough to make for some very nice imagery. A river is a powerful force, so it stands to reason that a river of whiskey would be capable of washing away the sorrow of a broken relationship. Still, it is how the song is sung that elevates it to the second highest position on this list.
1. “Friends in Low Places” – Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks’ musical career started in the mid-1980s. He wasn’t one of those artists who manage to break through right away. Instead, he was one of those artists who take time to build up momentum before breaking into the mainstream. “Friends in Low Places” from Brooks’ second studio album No Fences played a huge part in that. As the story goes, he got the song from the songwriting partners Earl Bud Lee and Dewayne Blackwell. Said individuals were inspired by Lee’s statement about having “friends in low places” when he forgot to bring his wallet to a restaurant, though it took the two some time to put everything together. Regardless of how it was put together, the song went on to become a huge success, so much so that it is one of Brooks’ signature songs.