Wax On Wax Off: A 4/20 Celebration in Music
Songs I love about getting high
Wednesday morning, I got up and wrote down my task list of things that I needed to accomplish (OK, hoped to accomplish), and put -Set List for Vinyl Night as my first task. So, I did something super enjoyable right after I got up.
Every Wednesday, one of my favorite local breweries, Wake Brewing, does a vinyl night: “Wax On Wax Off Wednesday.” People can come in and sign up for a 20-minute set to spin their vinyl between 4-9 pm. I’m totally stealing the name because it’s pretty awesome.
I was joking with a friend and one of the brewers one night before I got my vinyl out, and I told them that if I were going to spin one Wednesday, I would have to have a DJ name. The brewer gave me the DJ name of K-Dawg, so that’s me.
Once a month or so, they do a special theme night. Last month was drinking songs. This month, you guessed it, songs to celebrate 4/20!
I’m just going to plop my playlist right here so you don’t have to scroll all the way down to find it:
My desire to collect songs about getting high started with two songs that I really loved - they were popular on the local alternative radio station at the same time last year. I’ve been casually making notes of songs on this theme since.
Shaed - “Everybody Knows I’m High”
And The Black Keys - “Beautiful People (Stay High)”
I was like- two songs on the radio right now about getting high!! So, I put both of these songs immediately into my rotation. I was a fan of The Black Keys anyway. I had never heard of Shaed, but I love the song. Incidentally, I have not found it on TouchTunes at all. I’ve played The Black Keys song quite a few times on TouchTunes over the past year because it’s super catchy and I love it.
I did go listen to most of the Shaed album, just to know whether it was one I should purchase on vinyl to play at Wake on a Wax On Wax Off Wednesday. It was OK, but not one I’ve sought out for a second listen, so not one I would likely play more than the one track on. Not vinyl worthy at this moment in time.
Once Wake announced the theme last month, I started looking at what I may already have that references weed or getting/being high.
The one I knew I had was one I have actually played at one of Wake’s other vinyl nights - not one with a theme.
Camper Van Beethoven - “Good Guys and Bad Guys”
Another one of my favorite songs on this theme is the Arctic Monkeys - “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”
A few weeks ago, I was feeling like I needed some vinyl therapy and went to look for Lola Young’s album with “Messy” on it. (I was blissfully unaware of Record Store Day looming). I went to the smaller record store because it’s less of a hassle to get to, and I prefer shopping with fewer people around. They didn’t have the Lola Young album, so I started aimlessly searching for a few other albums. I just so happened to see The Arctic Monkeys’ AM and The Black Keys’ Ohio Players one after the other (they are fairly close alphabetically), and thought about Wake’s theme night coming up. AM is one that I have eyed quite a few times because it has some great songs on it. And the kids like them. So, I left with both albums, knowing that this helped me get closer to having a 20-minute set of songs on theme. Then, of course, I ended up visiting the bigger record store in downtown Davenport, thinking they were likely to have the Lola Young album. And they did! The song “Messy” has a couple of lines about getting high…
But, hey, you can't even talk
You smoke weed just to help you sleep
Then why you out gettin' stoned at four o'clock?
And then you come home to me
And don't say hello, 'cause I got high again
And forgot to fold my clothes
So, that put me up to 14.1 minutes. I meticulously math my sets. I figured if my friend Lisa wasn’t able to sign up for a set by the time she got there after work, I would share my time with her, and she would be able to play a couple of songs in my unused time.
Then, while we were in the second record store on Record Store Day, I remembered my absolute FAVORITE song about marijuana!
Sonic Youth & Cypress Hill - “I Love You Mary Jane” from the Judgement Night Soundtrack.
I don’t know how I could have forgotten that one!! So, I looked for it at the record store we were at, and then at the third one we were in that day. I doubted the smaller store (the first one we were in that day) had it, and it was too late to order it from one of them because they just have deliveries on Fridays. So, I found it on Amazon with a delivery on Tuesday (just in time for Wednesday!).
But, guess what happened when I opened it Wednesday morning? (The mail came about 20 minutes before I left to see Bob Mould that night).
They sent the wrong record!! Ironically, it’s one that I already have - ordered and purchased through the smaller record store for my daughter’s birthday! I’ve never completed an Amazon return so fast! I had it at the UPS store about 10 minutes after opening it!
That was a HUGE disappointment. And a lesson learned about ordering vinyl on Amazon. That’s not going to happen again.
So, of course, I ran right out to a record store to see if they had anything else on my list of songs. I looked for K. Flay, Lorde, Jonah Kagen…I found the Lana del Rey with “High by the Beach,” but, I only recognized two other songs on it, and it was $47.99 - so, that was a nope. I did happen to think of Weezer’s “Hash Pipe” while I was there, and that album was only $25, and I love Weezer, as does my youngest! So, then I was up to 17.2 minutes for my set!
I decided to stop by the bigger store across the river on my way to Wake’s vinyl night just in case I had missed the Judgement Night Soundtrack there. I wasn’t sure whether they mixed new and old together, and I figured it didn’t hurt to ask. Of course, they didn’t have it. But, they did have a used copy of Noah Kahan’s Live at Fenway Park for a decent price…and it turned out that Lisa didn’t have quite a full set, so I spontaneously added Noah Kahan’s “Dial Drunk” from that album at the end of my set for just over 20 minutes.
Here was my set:
Weezer “Hash Pipe”
Lola Young “Messy”
Black Keys “Beautiful People (Stay High)”
Arctic Monkeys “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High”
Camper Van Beethoven “Good Guys and Bad Guys”
Noah Kahan “Dial Drunk”
When I remembered the Sonic Youth & Cypress Hill song, it also made me think of a song called “Mary Wants It” from a local band back in the 80s!! They were a hardcore punk band made up of quite a few good friends of mine! For the hell of it, I searched to see if it was on YouTube - and sure enough, I found a video someone uploaded!
The video only contains one of the members of the original band. I’m not sure who the other people are in the video! Here is a photo of the band from 1986!
Let me know if you have any favorite songs that celebrate 4/20!
That's a fun project. I don't personally celebrate, but I think of this track from Willie Nelson's 70th birthday concert in which Wyclef Jean freestyles about Willie smoking more grass than Cheech & Chong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdM6693tjJs
Also, Steve Goldberg wrote a nice piece about Cyprus Hill: https://earworm.substack.com/p/celebrating-420-with-cypress-hill
Oooh - great topic! I should compile my list! I love that you have a lesser-known Camper Van Beethoven track, but you didn't include Cracker's "Low." I guess it's "like" being stoned as opposed to actually being stoned. That song felt ubiquitous back in '94.