Why do songs come to life more late at night when alcohol is involved?

April 19, 2009 · Posted in Entertainment, Featured, Funny and Odd, Music, Society, Things to think about, Topic Blogs · Comment 

3297053478_d82bab5a17I have been asking myself this for years.   The low lights, the shuffling crowd, and the emotionally charged atmosphere.   At times, it brings out the best or the beast in us, some guys fight, some girls fight, or sometimes fight each other.  Alcohol makes you focus (accept behind the wheel!), it makes you think, it opens your mind to ideas you’ve never had before, you develop ambitions that have escaped you, your guard is down, you love the guy next to you, or the girl.  Everyone goes deaf and voices get louder, more spit flies into your face as your buddy or BFF taunts and teases you about something you’d rather not talk about.

The environment takes on a different look and feel, your mind races and remembers every move and sound you hear.  People seem more interesting, you bond more with people you normally wouldn’t, and groups of strangers converge under one roof in a solitary, intimate setting watching each other intently as if everyone has a specific purpose for being there.

The time when the hope of new love or flashes of old love run crazy in your head.  People who are important to you become that much more important as the alcohol cast a veil of truth over your body and there is no escaping its pull.  You reflect on how things are and how they could be.  For a few hours of the evening (or the afternoon), the outside world is a mere shadow of itself and you are now lost in an amazing jazz piece from the trio, or maybe a 70’s classic rock song blaring from an old school jukebox, or the thumping of an R&B song from the loudspeakers which seems to take on a new meaning and you think to yourself “I actually like that!”

The music becomes more intense, your admiration for a beautiful person in your life becomes stronger, and the cares of the everyday are swept away and everyone shares the feeling either together or deeply tucked away in their hearts and souls.

One thing is always a constant, the music.  The melody is more catchy and the lyrics are more deeply meaningful..and hurtful.  You listen harder, you sulk into the moment, you wish for things that haven’t happened yet, you reflect on past events and try desperately to sort them out into a somewhat logical order, you realize you liked that kind of music but never confessed it to anyone.

You swear to yourself that after tonight, I’m gonna get better, look better, act better, be a better friend, call my folks, call my brother, make a move, call her, call him, play with my kids more, share something personal with someone…but most of all…your juices are flowing and you don’t know why!

Just a few of my favorites to hear in a bar (or anywhere for that matter):

Frank Sinatra- In the Wee Small Hours.    The song is from a man’s viewpoint but equally tugs at the heart of both sexes.  Sinatra’s version is by far the best.  Rumored to be right around the time he was in the midst of ending a relationship with actress Eva Gardner, the album In the Wee Small Hours was recorded in 1955. This time period is by far one of my favorites in modern music.  Many say the songwriting was over the top and lyrics overly poetic but I think it was perfect.

Dave Brubeck Quartet- Take Five.  I heard a live version of this at a jazz bar about four years ago and was memorized.  The song is in a catchy 5/4 time signature which forces you to move.  The entire club was bobbing their heads and “digging it man”


Journey – Send Her My Love.  Now that you have picked yourself off the floor and wiped your tears from your laughing outburst, bare with me.   The band wrote some pretty damn good ballads in their prime.   Total junior high dance for 30 somethings now but still a shit bar classic.  I bet you’ll still find Journey tunes in some pool halls out there!!!   Like I said, when it’s 1:30am and you have a glazed, half baked feeling as you lean against the dusty bar, then this song sounds like it was written for you, just yesterday.


Lily Allen- The Fear. Now jumping to the present and boy what is it about her that I can’t get enough of.    She’s very normal appearing at first glance until you notice she dresses odd, wears strange wigs in public, and is not a nice gal to talk to as I’ve heard she can be quite frank and offensive when interviewed, mmmm I like her even more now.  I’m not a big techno, club music guy but damn.  I want to pour her thick, English accent all over myself like hot chocolate syrup and…well…I dig the song too…and it grows on you.


The Airborne Toxic Event – Sometime Around Midnight.   Well…not much to say…the song was written about this very topic and it’s cool too.

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