We continue our musical theme this week in Solon’s latest installment of his picks column, this time turning to the top ten best songs about gambling. He makes only one bad pick in our book, and it’s one of omission: how could you forget Motorhead’s tribute to the dark god of fate, “Ace of Spades. A sample of the genius of Lemmy Kilmeister:
I know I’m gonna lose,
And gambling’s for fools
But that’s the way I like it, baby
I don’t wanna live forever!!!
Enjoy!
Like Solon, the only god Lemmy needs is the ace of spades.
Although I relish my role as the EDSBS.com resident degenerate punter, the truth is that gambling has a rich history in the fabric of American culture. As a result, several musical artists have created songs pertaining, in some form or fashion, to gambling. After careful consideration, I’ve compiled a list of ten songs that I believe rank among the best. Feel free to put your favorites in the comments.
(Please note: the ‘heyday’ of the gambling song, insofar as one exists, is in the first half of the 20th century. Specifically, there are several blues songs about gambling from the 1920’s and 1930’s, and country songs from the 1940’s and 1950’s, very few of which I am familiar. My apologies to fans of these genres for their non-inclusion on this list.)
HONORABLE MENTION: ARTIST
Despite living in the Bay Area, I am not a fan of the Grateful Dead. That said, when it comes to gambling songs, they have just about the most of any established band. So, full credit to them, even though they are not represented here.
HONORABLE MENTION: SONG
USE ME–Bill Withers
Most would contend that this song refers to a woman. I would argue that it could just as easily refer to Las Vegas, a town that will chew you up and spit you out. I once had a compulsive gambler as one of my best mates, and, believe me, I sat him down and told him that the town was no good for him. But he just kept wanting to get used up by her; she obliged, and eventually he ended up broke, and just a flat-out damn broke-down drunk. If he had listened to legitimate music he would have appreciated this song.
10) VIVA LAS VEGAS–Elvis Presley
This should be the song everyone listens to when they go to Vegas for the first time. (more…)
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