Loneliness, isolation, sadness, dead-end job prospects are all classic fodder for songs built around binge drinking. But the most harrowing songs are those that depict alcoholism as a disease. In Webb Pierce’s 1953 classic “There Stand the Glass,” the singer stares into an empty bourbon glass and says, “It’ll hide all my fears/It’ll drown out all my tears.” is singing. This drink was his first drink of the day, and he gave up, knowing that resistance was futile. “Brother, I’m leaving,” he sings. Mary Gauthier’s 1999 song “I Drink,” later covered by Bobby Bare, is the best example of this fatalism. In it, an alcoholic reveals that his addiction fundamentally defines him, and that there is no point in fixing his addiction. “I know what I am/But I don’t care,” she sings.
“Taste of home”
Shaboozey’s protagonist is not so depressed. His barfly is better known in modern country. Indeed, in recent years, country music has continued to elevate drinking songs more than ever, while largely ignoring the effects of intoxication. Songs like Brooks & Dunn’s Beer Thirty (1999), Joe Nichols’ Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off (2005), Toby Keith’s Red Solo Cup (2011), Eric Church’s Drink in My Hand (2011), and Drunk on a Dirks Bentley’s Plane (2014), Little Big Town’s Day Drinking (2014), Post In Malone’s Pour Me a Drink (2024) and countless other songs, alcohol is presented not as something that separates the song’s protagonists from their family and friends, but as the only thing that unites them and allows them to enjoy themselves.
This change is consistent with the close relationship alcohol brands have built with the industry. Stars like Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, Alan Jackson, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, and Toby Keith have signed deals to create their own brands of beer, rum, vodka, wine, and mezcal. is. Think about the types of alcohol. The country hitmaker’s name could be engraved on the bottle. Shelton, Church, Jackson, Brian, Lambert, and Dierks Bentley, John Rich, Florida Georgia Line, and Jason Aldean all opened their own signature bars in downtown Nashville. Also, following an already established trend in hip-hop, some endorsements go as far as dropping the brand’s name in the lyrics or prominently featuring the product in the accompanying video. Masu. With so much at stake, it’s less likely than ever that the latest chart-topping drinking song will portray the dark side of drunkenness.
