Seasons of the Ukulele

A weekly song challenge for ukulele players - all welcome. Find out more here

SOTU 736 - Bootleg Whisky, Champagne and Wine

dr_mitch

Welcome back Seasonistas, and welcome if you’re new to the Seasons.

The theme this week is songs involving or mentioning alcoholic beverages of all sorts. Name your poison, or just refer generically to booze or alcohol. That's it.

Both covers and original songs are welcome. All the usual rules apply. The Season runs from the start of Sunday 22nd March in Hawaii until the end of Sunday 29th March in Hawaii. If you need further clarification on the rules, please see Edwin’s FAQ:

https://seasonistaforum.flarum.cloud/d/16-what-are-the-seasons-of-the-ukulele-and-other-faqs-with-answers

The maximum number of entries this week is 736, to commemorate the season number.

And of course season 735 is still on.

Edit: And here's the PLAYLIST.

UkeCan1

I'm spending a night at the cozy coastal home of my friend Trish after our very hardworking and productive Brisbane City Sounds Chorus retreat weekend.

After test-driving every Irish drinking song we could find, she introduced me to this lovely brand-new-to-me song by Aussie hitmakers The Seekers - "Love is Kind, Love is Wine".

Not a twofer, because I've already done the '60s.

CanadaJim

Lotsa great songs fit this topic Mitch. Thanks.

Copper Kettle - Albert Frank Beddoe - 1946

-Singer Songwriter Mike Cross tells a story about playing a gig in the north and having someone hear his accent and say, "You're not from around here, are you?"
Mike said, "No Ma'am, I'm from down in the Appalachian Mountains."
"Oh, I know where that is. That's where all that moonshining and inbreeding goes on. Can you sing us a song about moonshining?"
"No Ma'am. I don't sing about sacred subjects. I will sing you a song about the other half of the culture though," and he sings a song called Elma Turl, which I'll try to put in The Island Of Misfit Seasonistas.

I don't mind singing about sacred subjects.

Nearsighted-Lemon-McKay

I'll get in a 2fer here, the 1967 version of Bottle of Wine by the Fireballs

dr_mitch

And we're off! Thanks to @UkeCan1 @CanadaJim and @Nearsighted-Lemon-McKay .

The score so far: 2 wines, 1 whisk(e)y

AlanDP

I did this song before, not long ago, but this time I did more production on it and added some overdubs. It's a fun song and I like it a lot. ChordPulse providing the bass & percussion, with some Roland "bari sax," uke "solo" and vocal harmony. The story of a man who got into trouble from drinking one little mint julep (allegedly). The mint julep is, of course, made with whiskey.

CanadaJim

The Dozen Pub (Twelve Bar) Blues - Jim Yates SOCAN 2010

I got the idea for this song after hearing Thom Case say, "I tried for years to write a drinking song, but never made it past the first couple of bars."
Thom has actually written some killer drinking songs. I have written a number of tunes, but not so many songs. I find lyrics elude me. I write lyrics that rhyme rather than lyrics with deep meaning.

**When I started noticing the number of bars closing down in our town and our neighbouring town, Cobourg, I started to write this song about that, but there were only about seven bars that had closed, so I switched the topic. Really, I've only been ejected from one of these bars, and that was over 50 years ago, but I'll take some poetic license.

I thought of writing a 12-bar blues about this chromatic autoharp that my son gifted me a couple of decades back, which has only 12 chord bars,

potmo

"Killer Queen" – Queen

Great topic Mitch! Thought I'd give you a break. You only have to wait for the third word (Moët & Shandon) to get the cherished alcohol reference.

potmo

Rocky Racoon

The continuation of my collection of obscure White Album Beatle's tunes
I am hoping to cover all the boozes, but I reserve the right to double up before completing the bingo.

The doctor came in. Stinking of Gin

champagne (Killer Queen Moet & Shandon)
gin Rocky Racoon's drunk doctor
vodka
beer
wine
whiskey (scotch and bourbon?)
rum

johnpoole

Thanks for hosting Paul. Here's Australia's most famous song about alcohol or lack of it. " Pub with no Beer" by Slim Dusty.

UkeCan1

This one meets the "involving" qualification, without mentioning any specific liquid intoxicant by name.

And it's from the '70s and hence a twofer.

"The Piano Has Been Drinking" by Tom Waits.

And wait you shall, because YouTube is still uploading….

AlanDP

This is an original I wrote back in 2015 (season 194) that I thought I'd give another go for this season. With overdubs of soprano uke, u-bass, melodica, and backing vocals. I used some digital alteration on the melodica to make it sound a little more accordion-like. Pearl beer was made at a brewery that is now pretty much in downtown San Antonio. The old brewery grounds has been turned into a posh hipster apartment complex. I think someone still sells a beer called "Pearl" but it's not made here anymore and I never see it being sold anywhere. It's probably only sold out-of-state as an "import." It was the favorite beer of all my old aunts & uncles when I was a kid. P.S. I looked it up and it's now made in Austin.

potmo

"Bloody Mary Morning" – Willie Nelson

Champagne (Killer Queen Moet & Shandon)
Gin
vodka
beer
wine
whiskey (scotch and bourbon?)
rum

I see I left out my favorite beverage from my booze checklist. I am not much of a drinker these days, but I love me a Bloody Mary for breakfast (or any time) when I am out. I totally stumbled on this song serendipidously while listening to an old Kinky Friedman (RIP I just found out) tune on Spotify, which shall be forthcoming.He covered this song from his final album. A classic Willie tune, which I had never heard before.

Mitch, I am afraid I may not make 736 songs this week. 😂

Barbablanca

My first this week is a murder mystery involving a bottle of whisky. The prompt for this Skirmish was Gloves.

It is an original I wrote during a skirmish (songwriting sprint) during FAWM '26

I hope you like it.

CanadaJim

SCOTCH & SODA - Unknown

I learned this from a Kingston Trio LP, but apparently they were never able to track down the composer. I have played it on the guitar for years, but this is just my second shot on the ukulele.
There's a link to a guitar version I did for The Old Guitar Players Facebook page in the YouTube notes.

dr_mitch

Catch up time - everything should be on the playlist. Thanks to @AlanDP (twice), @CanadaJim (twice), @potmo (thrice), @johnpoole , @UkeCan1 , and @Barbablanca

And the score:

Wine 3 (one champagne)

Whisk(e)y 4 (one in a Mint Julep)

Gin 2 (one in martini)

Beer 2

Vermouth 1 (in a martini)

Vodka 1 (in a Bloody Mary)

Booze and drinking in general 2

potmo

hmm seems if you have champagne mixed in with wine, you certainly should put gin in your martini (i guess it could be vodka but imo if they dont say vodka martini (which i recommend) then it's gin. I feel like even though technically it is a sparkling wine, it is thought of as a different category, e.g your SOTU title.

dr_mitch

potmo

Edit - I've separated martini into its components of gin and vermouth. I'll keep champagne is with wine for now unless there are lots of champagne songs.

Of course, like your checklist, it's all a dash of fun.

potmo

dr_mitch Yes, it probably won't sway the future of the universe much, heh. I think stuff like triple sec doesnt really count as part of the drink. But as you say, it is all in good fun anyway. I will let you maintain your incorrect tally 😛~

joo

thanks for hosting a marvelous theme, Paul!!!

here's an improvisation I made of the poem Cheers by Mr. Raymond Carver, who drank himself to death.

by IMPROVISATION I mean I just sit down and press Record. All I knew was I would play 2 chords - G and D, and I got the poem in front of me, so off I went.

The beverage mentioned here is Vodka. I enjoy reading the tally on the different kind of drinks posted here…This is the SECOND vodka, I think.

Other things:

i am wearing a hat my sister crochet for me

i am wearing my mum's old reading glasses

i am playing a 3-string sopranino uke but you can't see it except for a bit of the headstock because I must have considered my facial expressions more important for this improvisation than what i am doing with my fingers on the uke…But it is a cute little uke and easy to play with one less string.