The 13 Best Drinking Songs of 2013

Songs about drinking have been around for as long as humans have known that the quickest route to becoming a virtuoso is to knock back a few rounds. Even the Star Spangled Banner owes its melody to an old drinking refrain. This tradition of singing about booze continues to this day, and in honor of the long-standing custom, we present here the top 13 new releases of 2013 that fall into this category.

Some of these revolve entirely around the subject of drinking while others mention it in passing. Nonetheless, all of these tunes are pretty awesome. Be sure to check out the full Spotify playlist at the bottom of this post. Cheers!

Yo La Tengo - Ohm

“Hurts the brain to think / Hurts the head to drink”

If they drink as consistently as they’ve made records over the past thirty years, it’d be hard to blame them for the alcohol-induced headaches.

Suggested drink: Bloody Mary to rid yourself of that hangover


Future - Honest

“Gold bottles on bottles, I’m just honest”

It was a non-album banner year for the rapper who released over twenty songs, this arguably being the best. There are few rappers better at sincerity than Future and ‘Honest’ is straight proof of that along with arguably being the single of the year.

Suggested drink: Goldschlager

James Blake - Take a Fall For Me (ft. RZA)

“Blood is thicker than mud, liquor the elixir of love”

RZA’s guest verse drops some Drink Nation-approved knowledge over James Blake’s icy production.

Suggested drink: Manhattan

Josef Salvat - This Life

“I just need to tell my story / If you’re drunk, I’ll get done quicker”

It may seem surprising that this song even qualifies for the list considering it was released just two days into the year, but the soulful Australian bluntness (all right, his voice doesn’t hurt either) still has us anticipating his debut album.

Suggested drink: Gin & Tonic

Schoolboy Q - Collard Greens (ft. Kendrick Lamar)

“Smoke this, drink this, straight to my liver, watch this, no tick, yeah”

Not quite the ode/warning to drinking that his friend and labelmate Kendrick Lamar delivered last year, Collard Greens is still a worthy addition to this year’s list.

Suggested drink: Olde English 800

A$AP Ferg - Shabba (ft. A$AP Rocky)

“Probably bumping R. Kelly sippin’ Cristal”

For the second consecutive year, an A$AP Mob member makes a Cristal reference that lands in our year-end list, this time it’s from Ferg’s ode to dancehall musician Shabba Ranks.

Suggested drink: Cristal

Drake - Furthest Thing

“I still been drinkin’ on the low, mobbin’ on the low”

Considering the fact that Drake was filmed drinking out of his own Grammy (also see above), we suspect the “on the low” bit is not at all true.

Suggested drink: White wine spritzers

Blood Orange - High Street

“If you’re feeling me, put your Pinot Grigio up high / This one’s for my G’s in the North Side”

Already well-known in the industry for being a songwriter for Sky Ferreira and Solange, Dev Hynes’ own project Blood Orange took center stage in 2013.

Suggested drink: Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio

Kanye West - Bound 2

“They ordered champagne but still look thirsty / Rock Forever 21 but just turned thirty”

“Hold My Liquor” would be the obvious choice here but Bound 2 is simply a superior song and the sole throwback to College Dropout-era Kanye on Yeezus. That’s not to say that the rest of the album isn’t superb in its own way.

Suggested drink: Krug Grande Cuvee Champagne Brut
 

Waxahatchee - Dixie Cups and Jars

“I’m not a whipper in the wind / Or solace laying at the bottom of a bottle”

One of three rather depressing alcohol references in this song from Brooklyn via Philadelphia’s Katie Crutchfield and her introspective folk-rock project.

Suggested drink: shot(s) of Heaven Hill
 

Parquet Courts - Disney PT

“My girl’s a beer, freshly poured”

Re-released to a wider audience in 2013, this straightforward ode to a girlfriend is one of the briefer tracks on the punk band’s excellent “Light Up Gold”.

Suggested drink: PBR

Sampha - Too Much

“Girl, let’s pour a glass and you’re on my mind”

Sampha’s hook is used just as effectively in Drake’s own “Too Much” but there are no booze appearances in that version so we’re going with the stripped down ballad.

Suggested drink: Bollinger Special Cuvee

Beyonce - Drunk In Love (ft. Jay Z)

“Boy, I’m drinking, get my brain right / I’m on the Cognac, gangster wife”

A late addition to the list due to the bomb Queen Bey dropped last week. A moderately famous “gangster husband” makes an appearance later in the track.

Suggested drink: Cognac, obviously