Wine, Beer, Whiskey

Album: Nightfall (2019)
Charted: 100
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Little Big Town penned this song with Tofer Brown and Sean McConnell during a profitable writing session that birthed three tunes, including "Problem Child." The foot-stomping drinking anthem came as a fun moment of levity for the band and was completed in half an hour.

    "We had just written 'Problem Child,' which was such a serious song, and there was just this heaviness," Jimi Westbrook of LBT explained to Apple Music. "So at the end of that, we literally offered our co-writers wine, beer, or whiskey and one of them started singing, 'The wine, the beer, the...' We're like, 'Damn, that's hooky,' and 30 minutes later, we had written a silly song about drinking."
  • The horns, played by John Davidson of The Brummies, started off as a mouth trumpet in between their singing. "I was doing a mouth trumpet because it felt like it fit in between the bars," Westbrook explained. "We got our buddy from The Brummies to come over and stack a few trumpets on it, but our mouth trumpets are actually layered in on the track. You can hear them towards the end."
  • The raucous Mexicali-flavored jam finds Little Big Town paying homage to some of their friends, including Jack Daniel's, Jose Cuervo and Captain Morgan. It follows the bluesy lament "Over Drinking" on Nightfall.

    "The thing about the band is we do like to talk about things that are important, but we also try not to take ourselves too seriously," LBT's Karen Fairchild told American Songwriter. "If we don't show the lighthearted spirit of the band that just likes to have a good time, then we wouldn't be fully showing our personalities. That's the privilege of making a record. You can do what you want and let people go on the journey with you. This song was just part of it."
  • Little Big Town sang "Wine, Beer, Whiskey," on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on July 13, 2020. While it was the first time in four months Fallon hosted the show from the 30 Rock Studio due to COVID-19, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook, performed the song from the comfort of their own homes.

Comments: 4

  • AnonymousWhich people represent each drink in the music video?
  • Renee Triple M Farm from Washington PaLove this song. Another song that will be a #1 hit! You all make happy music and we all need to be happy.
  • Ray Point from TexasLittle Big Town ,with (Wine,Beer,Whiskey) has a Very big Hit...Ride it...we want More...R.P
  • Bobby RuaneThis tune has a fun, summery feel and has a cool, infectious hook. It is moving up my personal top 40 song chart.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.