Gnarly weed songs you need to hear to believe
By Jonathan Eig
“BURN ONE DOWN” by Ben Harper (1995)
Harper’s song begins with reggae-style drums, But the acoustic guitar soon joins, pulling this more into the realm of folk. Thus, it might have been included on two other teams. But the full effect of the song defies any specific categorization, making it perfect for this team.
Harper states a case just as powerful as that of Fat Mike in “Herojuana” but he does it so gently that you hardly even notice that he is preaching. “My choice is what I choose to do – And if I’m causin’ no harm, it shouldn’t bother you.” And later, “If you don’t like my fire, then don’t come around – “Cause I’m gonna burn one down.”
“LET’S GO SMOKE SOME POT,” by Dash Rip Rock (1995)
We close out our Team Unaffiliated lineup with a rip-roaring satire from New Orleans punksters Dash Rip Rock. Adapting Danny & the Juniors classic “At the Hop,” this is about as much fun as you can have in a weed song. “You can smoke it, you can chew it – You can really try and do it – Smokin’ pot.”
They name-drop countless bands, admit that they can’t remember the words to songs because they are high, and in one of the great moments in ‘90s rock, scream out “Everybody solos!” And so they do.
Next. Four bands too good for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four bands too good for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. dark
This concludes our epic discussion of great weed songs. I hope you have enjoyed it, and of course, hope you have used these little essays in a responsible manner. I promised at the outset that I would choose the winning team, but now I think I’ll leave that to you to make your own choice. That seems to be part and parcel of the message of so many of these songs.
Tell you what – buy me a beer sometime and I’ll tell you who I would choose as the winner. I would tell you to drop by with some weed, but I don’t partake myself. Live free, and don’t bogart.
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