Paul Fitzpatrick: London

I was out on an early morning dog walk recently, my music was on random shuffle and a song I hadn’t heard in ages, Andy Fairweather Low’s “Wide Eyed and Legless” started playing.

Released in 1975, it’s a track I was always fond of, perfect 70s pop, melodic with a catchy chorus, well written, well produced and well played by the ex-Amen Corner frontman accompanied on this track by Bernie Leadon from The Eagles.

I’ve no idea how many times I’ve heard the song but for the first time I listened to the lyrics properly and guess what?
It’s a song about a bloke with a drinking problem.
Who’d have thought??

“I’ve been here before, but this time it feels like the end; I should’ve known better I know, but, my memories no friend”

“Wide eyed and legless, this world is full of my shame”

Behind its jaunty 70s pop facade, it’s actually a sad and poignant tale about a guy burning the candle at both ends and it got me thinking about other 70s songs that are alcohol related.

So, after a few beers and a bit of reminiscing, I selected four songs with an alcohol theme.

Some obvious and others not so much…..

One of the first songs I remember making any sort of reference to alcohol was Rod Stewart’s version of “What Made Milwaukee Famous (Has made a loser out of me)” which was released as a double A side (with “Angel”) in September 1972.

Of course, I had no idea as a rookie 15 year old living in a leafy Glasgow suburb thousands of miles away that Milwaukee was the home of Schlitz Beer.

Or that the brand tagline was…

‘The beer that made Milwaukee famous’

The song which pretty much does what it says on the tin, was originally written for and recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis in 1968 and it’s a classic tale of Heartache and Beer…. we’ve all been there!

“She says love and happiness can’t live behind those swinging doors,
Now’s she’s gone and I’m to blame, too late I finally see,
What’s made Milwaukee famous has made a loser out of me”

This was Rod (and The Faces) in their prime, semi acoustic, a bit of steel guitar and Rod belting it out ala Dean Martin’s – “Little Old Wine Drinker Me”

The next song “A Case of You” is by Joni Mitchell.

Released in 1971 and included on the album Blue this is another track that I knew relatively well, but until I took time to tune into the lyric’s, I didn’t appreciate how intimate the song was and that the ‘case’ in question was a case of wine.

A ‘break-up’ song, autobiographical like much of Mitchell’s work, it’s about a relationship that’s ran its course yet she is still drawn to this guy despite his unsuitability.

“Oh, you’re in my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter and so sweet
Oh, I could drink a case of you, darling
And I would still be on my feet”

As everyone knows, The Who were notorious boozers and by the mid 70s Townsend decided he’d had enough, plus someone had to look after Keith Moon!

On the same evening he chose abstinence he wrote a song for the band’s new album, The Who by Numbers, ominously titled “No Way Out’
The track would eventually be known as – “However Much I Booze”

It’s one of the few Who songs that Townsend performs lead vocals on and legend has it that Roger Daltrey refused to sing the song because he didn’t want anyone to think that he was the one with the drinking problem.

Townsend would later speak candidly about his drinking in the early 70s:

“Drinking around the Who is the greatest thing gutter-level life can offer. The bawdiness of the humour, the sheer decadence of the amount put away, the incredible emotional release of violent outbursts against innocent hotel-room sofas; all these count to get a body through a lot of trouble. But at the end of the orgy, the real cancer still lies untackled deep in the heart”

Neil Diamond’s “Red Red Wine” would have been an obvious choice but actually my favourite Diamond track “Cracklin Rosie” is also alcohol related in terms of the song’s inspiration.

The ‘Jewish Elvis’ tells the story that he was touring Canada and asked an interviewer with links to the indigenous tribes for some local folk tales.

The story that stuck with him was about an Indian reservation where the men heavily outnumbered the women and compensated by buying a cheap local wine called Cracklin Rose.

As Diamond explained to Rolling Stone….

“On Saturday nights when they go out, the guys all get their girl; the guys without girls get a bottle of Cracklin’ Rosé, that’s their girl for the weekend.”

I also thought about some of my favourite tracks that pay homage to the demon drink in their lyrics.

I’m sure you can name them all…..

“I’m a juvenile product of the working class/Whose best friend floats in the bottom of a glass.”

“The Cuervo Gold the fine Colombian, makes tonight a wonderful thing”

“I met a gin-soaked bar room queen in Memphis”

“And them good old boys were drinking whisky in rye”

“And if you give me weed, whites, and wine, and you show me a sign”

Answers below the playlist…

“I’m a juvenile product of the working class/Whose best friend floats in the bottom of a glass.” – Elton John: Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting

“The Cuervo Gold the fine Colombian, makes tonight a wonderful thing” – Steely Dan: Hey 19

“I met a gin-soaked bar room queen in Memphis” – Rolling Stones: Honky Tonk Woman

“And them good old boys were drinking whisky in rye” – Don McLean: American Pie

“And if you give me weed, whites, and wine, and you show me a sign” – Little Feat: Willin