Top-ten best songs about weed written by stoners for stoners
The love story between cannabis and art, more specifically music, is as old as the world. Weed has inspired musicians as well as poets, painters, writers. Capable of stimulating creativity, while at the same time soothing the physical and psychological stress given by a life lived on the edge, cannabis was surely seen by many as an artist’s best friend.
This magical bond between artist and plant is so strong that many musicians decided put it in words and music, creating unique songs that pay tribute to the world’s most famous herb. In fact, there are hundreds of songs about cannabis. Think hip hop and reggae music, for example. In the following article, we present to you Bongify’s unique top-ten chart of the best songs about weed, written by stoners with stoners in mind.
1. I Want To Get High
Artist: Cypress Hill
Genre: Hip Hop
Album: Black Sunday
Release year: 1993
Lyrics: Forward motion, make you sway like the ocean / The herb is more than just a powerful potion
About the song
Few other artists have celebrated cannabis to the extent to which Cypress Hill did. The world-famous hip hop crew from California sure loves cannabis, and never shied away from manifesting this love throughout their musical career. The whole “Black Sunday” album is a perfect example of this.
Regarded by many as Cypress Hill’s masterpiece, the album opens up with the smash hit “I Want to Get High”, and follows through with other weed-inspired songs such as “Hits From the Bong” and “When the Shit Goes Down”. The album’s booklet features stunning artwork containing many references to weed culture and weed smoking, as well as 19 facts about the history and the qualities of marijuana, making it an absolute must-have for each and every hip hop stoner.
2. Sweet Leaf
Artist: Black Sabbath
Genre: Metal
Album: Masters of Reality
Release year: 1971
Lyrics: You introduced me to my mind / And left me wanting you and your kind
About the song
Black Sabbath’s ode to cannabis opens up with a sample captured as Tony Iommi, the band’s legendary guitarist, was coughing up half a lung after taking a hit from some ultra-potent weed. Iommi’s powerful, gloomy guitar reef, accompanied by Ozzy Osbourne blistering delivery and clever lyrics built on the rock-solid rhythm section provided by Geezer and Bill Ward sure make for an instant classic.
This is one of the songs that helped shaping the genre known as stoner metal, a genre to which many famous rock bands can be assimilated. Queens of the Stone Age and before them Kyuss, The Melvins, Soundgarden, are just some of the bands that where deeply influenced by the hazy atmospheres of Sabbath’s Sweet Leaf.
3. Legalize It
Artist: Peter Tosh
Genre: Reggae
Album: Legalize It
Release year: 1976
Lyrics: It's good for the flu, and good for asthma / Good for tuberculosis, even umara composis
About the song
Bob Marley’s friend, former bandmate and lifetime rival Peter Tosh sure knew a thing or two about cannabis. As a Rastafarian, Peter Tosh had a deep bond with the herb. He used it on a daily basis, he knew its beneficial properties and its spirit-awakening potential. Tosh advocated for cannabis legalization and its widespread use. “Legalize it, and I will advertise it”, as in the song’s chorus.
Throughout the years, and thanks to reggae roots artists like Tosh, Marley and Burning Spear, reggae music became for the Rastafarian community a way of promoting a conscious, rebellious message to the black populations that inhabit the Caribbean. It also became a way to educate the population about the untold qualities of this incredible plant, and Peter Tosh surely is one of the most prominent teachers in this sense.
4. Space Cowboy
Artist: Jamiroquai
Genre: Funk/Fusion
Album: The Return of the Space Cowboy
Release year: 1994
Lyrics: Maybe I'm gonna have to get high just to get by
Possibly not as direct as the songs mentioned before this one, Space Cowboy’s chilled, funky bass line and Jason Kay’s smoothly-flowing lyrics grant this song a place in our playlist. The song is atmospheric and relaxing, but when the chorus kicks in, it kicks in with a whole new vibe made of syncopated drums and hard-hitting bass notes, just like when a potent sativa strain takes your mind to another dimension all of a sudden.
Jason “Jay” Kay never hid his passion for cannabis. In the song’s video, when he sings “I’ve got that cheeba cheeba vibe” (by the way, cheeba is a slang for cannabis), the walls of the room where he’s singing are covered in weed-shaped, rotating strobe lights. That’s when you know beyond any doubt that Jay is singing about weed.
5. Smoke Two Joints
Artist: Sublime
Genre: Punk/Reggae
Album: 40oz. to Freedom
Release year: 1992
Lyrics: I smoke two joints before I smoke two joints / And then I smoke two more
About the song
If only Bradley Nowell, Sublime’s iconic frontman, would spend his days smoking joints as in the lyrics to this song, he would most probably still be among us. Unfortunately, he was into harder stuff as well, stuff that eventually led him to the grave. On the morning of the 25th of May 1996, just when Sublime’s Californian tour was supposed to begin, Bradley was found by his bandmates lying on the bed, overdosed on heroin.
His legacy lives on in his music, though. This song perfectly encapsulates the trademark sound of the 90s alternative rock scene, with its reggae-ska rhythm, blistering guitar solo, punky vibe, and Bradley’s soulful vocals. So, let’s roll up two fat joints, and smoke them in memory of Bradley Nowell and Sublime.
6. Mary Jane
Artist: Rick James and the Stone City Band
Genre: Funk
Album: Come Get It!
Release year: 1978
Lyrics: She's not the kind of girl that you can just tie down / She likes to spread her love and turn your head around
About the song
Rick James is famous for his flamboyant stage persona, as well as for his unrivalled love for women and drugs. He truly lived the sex, drugs, and rock and roll lifestyle, with a carefree, larger-than-life approach that turned him into one of the greatest in funk, while leading him to his demise at the same time.
And no, the song Mary Jane is not about Rick’s love for one of his groupies; it’s about weed! As a young Afro-American living in the ghetto, boy Rick made friends with cannabis at a very early age. And this served him as an inspiration to write one of the all-times best funk songs. Before Parliament Funkadelic could even realize what was going on, Rick James had made a name for himself with a massive hit.
7. Rainy Day Woman
Artist: Bob Dylan
Genre: Folk rock
Album: Blonde on Blonde
Release year: 1966
Lyrics: Everybody must get stoned
About the song
Everybody must get stoned is a bold statement from the minstrel of rock and Nobel Prize winner, Mr. Bob Dylan himself. Especially considering that he made this statement in 1966, two years before the “Summer of Love”. Rebel at heart, endless wonderer and singer of sweet songs, Bob Dylan undeniably loved smoking weed and getting high.
At the time, Bob Dylan was one of the pioneers and icons of the hippie movement. A movement that despite its sad epilogue, was truly sparked by the ideals of freedom and love. A movement that culminated in the legendary Woodstock concert, to which Dylan, the first artist to be invited, could not participate; one of his kids needed hospitalization, hence he had to decline the invitation.
8. Reefer Man
Artist: Cab Callaway
Genre: Jazz
Album: NA
Release year: 1932
Lyrics: Have you ever met this funny reefer man?
About the song
Legend has it that it was the Afro-American jazz community to first bring marijuana from Mexico to the southern United States, and this song could just be one of the clues that back up this statement. We have to go back in time with our thoughts, and imagine how the United States where in the early 30s. A little bit racist, somewhat bigot, and totally obsessed with marijuana.
The infamous Harry Aslinger, cannabis archenemy number one, was leading a fierce demonization campaign against marijuana. He is the mind behind movies such as “Reefer Madness”, and his was pivotal role in making weed illegal. As a matter of fact, before the 30s hemp was seen as totally normal. It was made illegal in 1937, as a result of Aslinger campaign. So, considering the historical frame, Cab Calloway’s fresh, happy take on potheads sure deserves a place in our top-chart.
9. Let’s Go Get Stoned
Artist: Ray Charles
Genre: Soul
Album: Crying Time
Release year: 1966
Lyrics: Just drop by my place on your way home / Let's go get stoned
About the song
Originally recorded by The Coasters in 1965, it was a B-side to a more famous single, Never Had It So Good. It lived a second life thanks to the talent and genius of Ray Charles, who reinterpreted it and made a hit out of it. Ray’s soulful voice and magical touch on the piano and the harmonized backing vocals by the choir girls, embellish this outstanding R&B masterpiece; a real pleasure for the ears.
Interestingly, Let’s Go Get Stoned, together with I Need No Doctor, were the first songs recorded by Ray after going through a rehabilitation period to kick his heroin habit. The song, then, might be a statement on which are the habits that are worth keeping.
10. A Passage to Bangkok
Artist: Rush
Genre: Progressive rock
Album: 2112
Release year: 1976
Lyrics: The natives smile and pass along / A sample of their yield
About the song
With Giddy Lee’s unique high-pitched vocals, Neil Peart’s impeccable drumming and Alex Lifeson’s psychedelic guitars, Rush tribute to the world most famous plant is a masterful blend of hard rock and progressive rock. Inspired by Led Zeppelin song Kashmir, the song lyrics describe the band voyage to exotic lands in search of the golden grails of cannabis.
Written by Rush drummer Neil Peart, the song talks about Colombia, home of the Colombian Red Dot and other landraces, Mexico, Thailand, Afghanistan and other Meccas of cannabis consumption. In the words of Alex Lifeson, the song is about a “fun little journey to all the good places you could have a puff.” We’d sure love to go on a trip with Rush to all of these wonderful places and get a taste of the local produce!
11. Bonus: Proud Mary
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Genre: Country rock
Album: Bayou Country
Release year: 1969
Lyrics: You don't have to worry 'cause you have no money /People on the river are happy to give
About the song
Although John Fogerty, leader of the legendary American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, repeatedly said that this song is about a steamboat, the lyrics undeniably seem to be carrying some sort of not-so-hidden meaning. John Fogerty has never made a secret of his cannabis use; however, he never wanted to be seen as some sort of icon by the stoner culture typical of the hippie movement.
He was also quite scared of being caught by the authorities, and this might be reflecting in the lyrics he wrote for this song. Cryptic enough not to be understood by the mainstream; witty enough to be interpreted in the right way by cannabis users. At least, this is what we want to believe.
