Some Bar Songs

So last night while enjoying some pizza and wine, I came across the X/Twitter post above on the topic of “Barroom songs.” While I still occasionally stop off at the bar for a few drinks or a cheeseburger, it is not the regular occurrence for me that it once was in my wayward youth. I used to enjoy going to The IceHouse bar in Wilmington, North Carolina (now gone), The Mad Monk in Wilmington, North Carolina (also gone), and The Attic in Greenville, North Carolina (gone as well). I enjoyed seeing live music performances at all three. And while I was never a big fan of dancing, I have been to a number of clubs where a DJ or a live band pumped out the music. I enjoy a variety of different kinds of music. Yet when I think about bar music, I think about the songs that the crowd might sing along to when the jukebox, the DJ, or the band plays them. It turns out that my thinking on this matter was correct, at least so far as the X/Twitter post was concerned.

Now admittedly, tastes vary and not all bars are the same. At a Southeastern or Gulf Coast beach bar you will almost certainly get some people singing along to “Margaritaville,” “Bama Breeze,” and other songs by the legendary Jimmy Buffett (I wish that you were still here with us leading the party, sir). And you might hear the crowd singing “It’s Raining Men” at a gay bar (my own lone visit to a gay bar lasted approximately a New York minute 😂). I tended to frequent pool halls and what many would call “dive bars” such as the Barbary Coast in Wilmington, North Carolina where I drank a handful of times. So I tend to think of the classic rock and country and western songs when I think of bar music. But I think of more than just that.

I definitely think of David Allan Coe’s “You Never Even Called Me by My Name.” I can’t say that I am familiar with “Jenny Says” by Cowboy Mouth. And I DEFINITELY have to respectfully object to the “(Nothing follows)” assertion. So below are links to a few “bar songs” that myself and others have enjoyed during my time in bars. It is by no means comprehensive or exhaustive. The music is often a big part of the bar experience. So if I have missed a favorite of yours or even mine, it’s not meant as a slight. Anyway, enjoy!

“You Never Even Called Me by My Name” (David Allan Coe)

“Strokin’” (Clarence Carter)

“Family Tradition” (Hank Williams, Jr.)

“Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound” (Hank Williams, Jr.)

“Sweet Caroline” (Neil Diamond)

“Shout, Pts. 1 & 2” (The Isley Brothers [not to mention Otis Day & The Knights of Animal House fame])

“Margaritaville” (Jimmy Buffett)

“Bama Breeze” (Jimmy Buffett)

“Why Don’t We Get Drunk” (Jimmy Buffett)

“PLAY SOME SKYNYRD!”

“Free Bird” (Lynyrd Skynyrd)