What Whiskey Does

Album: Magnolia (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Penned by Randy Houser with Keith Gattis and Hillary Lindsey, this barroom weeper finds Houser winding down with the help of alcohol.

    I'm gonna light one up and sit right here
    I'm gonna drink this hole in the wall out of beer
    And when that ice cold beer loses its buzz
    I'm gonna let that whiskey do what whiskey does
  • The classic country drinking song finds Houser returning to the authentic music that he has touched on before including his 2010 They Call Me Cadillac album. "Coming off such a big year in 2017, I really wanted to get back to the basics, experiment with sound and make music that inspired me," said the singer. "'What Whiskey Does' was born from a mission to forget about all of the bells and whistles, relax and just create music that felt good to make."
  • The song was created very quickly. "We had the band in the studio on standby while we finished the lyrics, so it was written and recorded in one day," said Houser in a companion in-the-studio video. "Sometimes it happens like that, lightning strikes and you just sort of go with it."
  • "What Whiskey Does" also features backing vocals from Hillary Lindsey. Houser described her contribution as "the icing on the cake."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.

Carl Sturken

Carl SturkenSongwriter Interviews

Hitmaker Carl Sturken on writing and producing for Rihanna, 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Donny Osmond, Shakira and Karyn White.

British Invasion

British InvasionFact or Fiction

Go beyond The Beatles to see what you know about the British Invasion.

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

Kiss

KissFact or Fiction

Kiss is the subject of many outlandish rumors - some of which happen to be true. See if you can spot the fakes.