Don't Blame It On Whiskey
by Jon Pardi (featuring Lauren Alaina)

Album: Heartache Medication (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Don't Blame It On Whiskey" was written by Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Luke Laird and Michael Heeney for Church's 2011 Chief album. It didn't make the record, but another tune written by Church, Heeney and Laird the same week did: "Drink In My Hand," which became Church's first Top 40 pop hit.

    Pardi first heard "Whiskey" in 2010 and thought it was a great song. While recording Heartache Medication, the track returned to his radar after an A&R executive dug it out of hiding. He played it for the singer, who agreed to cut it after getting the blessings of Lambert and Church.
  • The original demo featured the voices of Lambert and Church. "It was very simple," Pardi recalled to Billboard. "It was just a drum track and a guitar lead and a guitar and vocal from Eric and Miranda. You could just hear the bus humming so it was just a work tape, but it sounded really good."
  • After Lauren Alaina and Jon Pardi co-hosted the 2018 ACM Honors ceremony, they sang a couple of songs together. Everybody said they sounded great, so Alaina was a natural choice for Pardi's duet partner on this cut.
  • Lyrically, the song is about a couple whose relationship is nearing a breaking point. They acknowledge that in order to fix it, they need to be honest about where they're going wrong and not to "blame it on the whiskey."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.