Whiskey is often associated with two opposite concepts.
First, it’s related to feelings of warmth, comfort, and celebration.
Second, it has to do with darker emotions of heartbreak, regret, loneliness, and so on.
Songs about whiskey can be upbeat and cheerful, or introspective and melancholic, leading to a sense of nostalgia for times past.
With that idea in mind, let’s check what these 25 songs about whiskey have to tell us.
1. Whiskey in the Morning – Buckcherry
The title leads to two possible options.
Either the person drinking is having the wildest weekend in Las Vegas, or is a full-time alcoholic.
I’d say, though, that after listening to singer Josh Todd screaming “CAN’T STOP DRINKING”, the answer is quite apparent.
2. Your Mama Should’ve Named You Whiskey – Luke Bryan
Comparing a woman with an alcoholic drink is a strong statement. As strong as whiskey, I’d say.
But why is this comparison made, to begin with?
Is it because her love is addictive? Is it because she provides pleasure but also pain?
There’s only one way to find it out.
3. Whiskey in My Whiskey – The Felice Brothers
There’s something better than drinking good whiskey: drinking good whiskey with more good whiskey!
Better still, though, is hearing a good story, like the one behind this song.
Whiskey in My Whiskey is about a man who falls in love with a girl called Eleanor. When Eleanor leaves him for another man, the protagonist shoots the girl dead.
In the end, the broken-hearted killer commits suicide on the rail trains.
4. Whiskey, Weed, and Women – Hank Williams III
For Hank Williams’ grandson, whiskey alone wasn’t enough.
Sadly, this song is not about partying. On the contrary, it’s about the sorrows that come after having too much fun.
Not to mention, Hank III states that he indulges in alcohol to numb the pain of his missing parents.
5. Tenessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton
This cover appears on Stapleton’s debut album.
It was the result of a jamming session. The band began playing and Chris thought it would be a good idea to sing Tenessee Whiskey over it.
Chris’ producer suggested he should record it, and the rest is history.
6. Hemingway’s Whiskey – Kenny Chesney
Writer Ernest Hemingway was known for his heavy-drinking habit.
The song celebrates the hard and adventurous life of the author.
7. Whiskey In The Jar – Thin Lizzy
Whiskey In The Jar is an Irish traditional song.
It has been versioned by a dozen of artists, such as U2, Metallica (probably the most famous version), The Irish Rovers, The Highwayman, The Grateful Dead, and The Dubliners; and the list goes on!
However, Thin Lizzy is probably the band that did the definitive version, the one that Metallica would do later.
All in all, despite the song not having a real owner, it is stated by public opinion that Thin Lizzy is the group that “owns” it.
8. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) – The Doors
Once again, we find yet another version.
Alabama Song appears on The Doors’ debut album.
Since the album has been a top-seller and a classic in Rock N’ Roll music history, Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) has become a classic from this Californian group.
9. Take Your Whiskey Home – Van Halen
Appearing in Van Halen’s third studio album Women and Children First, Take Your Whiskey Home places drinking over love.
To be more precise, a girlfriend warns her boy to reduce his drinking, or he will end up in a “whole lotta trouble.”
As I said before, the man chooses the bottle since he likes it “better than the rest.”
10. Sunshine and Whiskey – Frankie Ballard
According to Ballard, Sunshine and Whiskey is about two vices that have always put him into trouble: sex and alcohol.
Frankie Ballard also named his album the same way. He believed that it summarized the rest of the tracks pretty accurately.
11. Youth and Whiskey – Black Veil Brides
Off the second studio album Set the World On Fire comes Youth and Whiskey.
The song celebrates the victory of “becoming who you want to be” and fulfilling your goals while looking back at your sorrowful past; a past that made you who you are now.
Cheers!
12. Whiskey River – Willie Nelson
Alcohol is a depressant that, oddly enough, momentarily numbs the user from depression.
As a result, many people find temporary shelter in the drink. Needless to say, making a habit of it leads to alcoholism and other dangerous diseases.
Whiskey River is about not having anything in your life other than the warmth of alcohol to make reality more bearable.
13. Lace and Whiskey – Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper personified a fictional character known as Maurice Escargot for one of his studio albums. The character Escargot is a heavy drinker inspector, highly influenced by the 40s and 50s American cultural scene.
All in all, I would say that the title of the song (the same title as the album) pretty much fits the profile of an alcoholic investigator.
14. Whiskey Lullaby – Brad Paisley feat. Alison Krauss
Alcohol misuse kills. But few people can make such an outstanding story with this fact.
In Whiskey Lullaby, a man marches off to war. He returns home alive, but his heart is broken when he discovers his wife has left him for another man.
The veteran is in such deep pain that he drowns himself in alcohol over and over again until he dies.
The woman discovers that the man killed himself and feels guilty about it. She also drinks herself to death, literary.
15. Not Enough Whiskey – Kiefer Sutherland
Unsurprisingly, we find another song where the drinking problems appear because of relationship problems.
The title is an important lesson: no matter how many bottles you empty, there’ll never be enough whiskey to solve your problems.
Sooner or later, you’ll have to look for an alternative.
16. Whiskey’n Mama – ZZ Top
17. Whiskey Rock-A-Roller – Lynyrd Skynyrd
18. Smoke & Strong Whiskey – Christy Moore
19. Women Without Whiskey – Drive-By Truckers
20. Whiskey Man – The Who
21. If The Sea Was Whiskey – Willie Dixon
22. Well Whiskey – Bright Eyes
23. Cheap Whiskey – Martina McBride
24. Drowns The Whiskey – Jean Aldean feat Miranda Lambert
25. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound – Hank Williams Jr.
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