Bob Dylan’s favourite songs about drinking booze
While Bob Dylan’s relationship with alcohol has been more private compared to other aspects of his life and career, that hasn’t stopped him from spotlighting songs that can elevate a mood. As a freewheelin‘ artist and bonafide treasure trove of incredible music—mostly self-composed—Dylan also boasts a near-encyclopedic knowledge of folk and country music. This vast musical expertise was on full display during his famed run as the host of Theme Time Radio Hour, where he curated playlists that celebrated a wide range of themes, including drinking songs that ramp up the mood.
The first season of Theme Time Radio Hour, hosted by Dylan, aired from May 3rd, 2006, to April 18th, 2007, on XM Satellite Radio, spanning a total of 50 episodes. As expected, each show was centred around a distinct theme, covering topics like ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’, musical instruments, and even a double episode dedicated to ‘Trains’. One particularly brilliant episode saw Dylan curating his 16 favourite songs about drinking. As the man himself described it, the episode explored: “The world of liquid libation, booze, sauce, hooch, white lightning, fire water, hard stuff, pick me up, gin and juice, moonshine, canned heat.”
Over the years, Dylan has made sporadic allusions to drinking and alcohol throughout his extensive body of work; he frequently uses it as a metaphor for emotional anguish, remorse, or escape. For example, Dylan sings about the escape and comfort that alcohol offers in songs like ‘Moonshiner’, an old folk ballad he recorded early in his career, but he does it with a feeling of sorrow and self-awareness about the repercussions of reliance.
In another instance, he sings, “I started out on burgundy but soon hit the harder stuff” in ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ which is a light-hearted but pointed allusion to booze and its function in easing one’s way through difficult or confusing times. However, rather than being overt admissions of inner conflicts, these allusions are frequently a part of a larger metaphorical landscape.
Of course, Dylan’s songs often deal with themes of seeking purpose in life or running away from emotional suffering, and alcohol is occasionally seen as a transient haven from the harsh realities of everyday existence. Instead of making a direct reflection on his personal life, Dylan’s portrayal of the issue is typically more literary and symbolic, demonstrating his acute awareness of human weakness.
While it might have been easy for Dylan to reference the machismo energy of the 1980s or the swashbuckling ’70s for most of his favourite songs about getting wasted, he instead chose to look further back in time. Naturally, Dylan’s selections reflected his deep appreciation for the roots of music, focusing on older, classic tunes that capture the essence of kicking back and knocking back a few. This backward glance highlights his reverence for the traditions that shaped his own musical journey.
There are countless songs in his collection that mean the world to Dylan, but he chose to pick out a few, in particular, to share a few words on, including Charles Aznavour’s ‘I Drink’, showing his admiration and devotion to the artist, Dylan says: “Sings in six languages, French, English, Italian. He’s written over a thousand songs. I only know about half of them.” The melancholic ballad explores themes of self-destruction, hopelessness, and loneliness. The song, which was released in 1976, demonstrates Aznavour’s talent for conveying a range of complex emotions through simple, sad melodies and honest, genuine words.
Another track that gets a special mention in John Lee Hooker’s mammoth number ‘One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer’, as Dylan comments: “One of those guys that recorded under a thousand different names, John Booker being one, Johnnie Lee, The Boogie Boy, John Lee…one of those guys that always sounds better without a band…13 bars here, 11 bars there, 9 there, it doesn’t matter to him. Nobody can do more with less than John Lee Hooker. A band’s gotta hold on for dear life just to keep up.”
As part of the show, Dylan also shared his recipe for two of his favoured cocktails: a bourbon and coke as well as a classic Mint Julep, confirming that “Two or three of those and anything sounds good!” Luckily, we don’t need any libations to make this playlist sound good. It is rich, textured and smooth all at the same time and it won’t leave you with a hangover.
Listen below to Bob Dylan’s favourite songs about boozing.
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