Best Beer-Drinking Songs Includes Something Canadian
This article on the five best beer-drinking song appeared Friday in the Philadelphia Daily News as part of Joe Six-Pack’s blog.
4. “Home for a Rest.” You might mistake it for something from the Pogues, except you can actually understand the lyrics:
We arrived in December and London was cold,
We stayed in the bars along Charing Cross Road.
We never saw nothin’ but brass taps and oak,
Kept a shine on the bar with the sleeves of our coats.
Spirit of the West made it the unofficial Canadian national anthem.
Yep. Good to see that people from Philly recognize a good thing–especially since Joe Six-Pack had declared this to be “the best beer drinking city in America.” Thanks to Andrew for the tip.
My (many) nights of drinking was not complete until Spirit of the West was played. I would recall the time spent banging around to this song….but I was pretty drunk!
Another great Canadian drinking anthem, 5 O'Clock by Mudmen… excuse me while I make myself a rye and coke…
As a longtime SOTW fan it's nice to see them get recognition, but a little disappointing that it's only for this most of the time.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great song, I party to it a lot myself. But it's only one great song across their 30 year career of consistently great music. They've masterfully weaved through several styles and genres and yet remained uniquely them.
Their lyrics are always well thought out (full of clever wordplay, and engaging whether about matters such as assisted suicide or just about getting s***faced in the streets of London), and well delivered by the versatile voice of John Mann, or by co-founder Geoffrey Kelly.
Their live shows are always great too, attracting teens to sixty-somethings, punks to guys in suits. Their stage presence can make anything from a club like the Commodore Ballroom to Rogers Arena feel like an intimate gathering of friends.
This is what I wish SOTW's legacy was. They are in my less than humble opinion one of our country's hidden musical treasures. Of course, I will admit I may be a bit biased (favourite band and all), but I don't think I'm far off the mark either.