Songs from the vine
Wine pops up everywhere–in movies, poetry, in the shopping cart, and in many, many songs. The title of this post is the title of a mixed cd I once made for a friend with a mutual love for the grapes.
So I’ll start with a few of my favorites. The first has to be “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell. I love the lines: 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… There is so much wrapped up in that–how you can get drunk off someone, how that person gets under your skin, how it can be good and bad. Nothing and everything.
Another good one is from Ray LaMontagne, off his album Trouble, with the simple title “Hannah” He sings:Come to me Hannah /Hannah won’t you come on to me/ I’ll lay down this bottle of wine /If you’ll just be kind to me. This man wants to replace one addiction with another, but the plea is so earnest and touching.
Others I like include “California Stars” by Wilco (though I think Woody Guthrie wrote the lyrics), which I can appreciate more now that I live here in wine country. And sometimes wine only makes a minor appearance, as with “All Along the Watchtower” where the businessmen drink his wine and plowmen dig his earth. That idea goes with the theme of the song–always be on the lookout cause anything can happen.
Anybody else want to add to the mix?
songs about wine, A Case of You, Hannah, California Stars, All Along the Watchtower
October 22nd, 2006 at 10:40 am
Hi I have a another wine song for you. It’s California Wine by The Undesirables, a band I discovered back in 1995. Corin Raymond’s lyrics are brilliant.
http://theundesirables.com/audio/The%20Undesirables%20(California%20Wine).mp3
October 22nd, 2006 at 10:52 am
Duane, I’ll check it out. Thanks.