FlourishAnyway believes there is a playlist for just about any situation and is on a mission to unite and entertain the world through song.

Tequila: Truth Serum in a Shot Glass

Some people can handle their tequila, but for many, tequila handles them—roughly. Which are you?

Tequila can be a truth serum in a shot glass, as it makes you lose all inhibitions and coaxes you to spill secrets. Shy people may become social butterflies and friendly folks might start fights. And with enough tequila, you could even find yourself dancing on the bar with just your boots on or waking up the next morning with a stranger, a pounding headache, and little memory of how you got there.

If you're a tequila drinker, make a playlist of pop, rock, and country songs in honor of the adult beverage. Then share your favorite tequila-related story with us in the comments section below. (Don't worry, we won't tell.)

1. "Everybody Hates Me" by The Chainsmokers

It'll take a lot of tequila to dull this guy's perception that everyone hates him. His girlfriend cheated on him and publicly embarrassed him, and now he's left to pick up the pieces. As he enters a nightclub, he feels self-conscious and just wants to drink tequila with his friends so he can relax and forget.

The 2018 synthpop tune was an international success.

2. "You and Tequila" by Kenny Chesney (featuring Grace Potter)

The man in this 2011 country song feels the anguish of addictive attraction. Both tequila and his poisonous lover are his favorite sins, but neither one is good for him. Concerned about his weakness for both, he alludes to a well-known Alcoholics Anonymous slogan, "One is one too many, and one more is never enough."

'Cause you and Tequila make me crazy
Run like poison in my blood
One more night could kill me, baby
One is one too many, one more is never enough.

If you know all too well what he's talking about, then why not make yourself a playlist of songs about addiction and recovery to celebrate your journey towards a better life?

3. "Mamacita" by Collie Buddz

In this 2007 reggae number, the narrator pounds shots of tequila as he admires a sweet, attractive señorita who sways her hips both fast and slow to the rhythm of reggae and calypso music. They flirt and dance together all night long as he drinks and she smokes.

If you've never heard of him, Collie Buddz is an American/Bermudian reggae artist.

4. "Straight Tequila Night" by John Anderson

Tonight, that lovely lady in the corner of the bar is simply sippin' white wine. She's a regular patron who is generally friendly and loves to dance. The narrator cautions you, however, to keep her away from the tequila.

When it's a straight tequila night, all bets are off, and she becomes someone completely different as she tries to forget about the man who broke her heart. On those nights, this woman becomes a hellcat, blaming her heartache on every man in sight. She'll want to fight anyone within reach. The song was a number one country hit in 1991.

Maybe it's tequila that brings the memories of your old flame flooding back. Maybe it's an old song, who knows. If you're still struggling to get over an old lover, make yourself a playlist of songs about trying to forget an ex.

5. "Tequila" by Dan + Shay

His ex is gone, and for the most part, the narrator has moved on. However, one taste of tequila and all the memories and regret come flooding back for the man in this 2018 country crossover song.

Tequila reveals the unfinished business we have with old friends and lovers alike. It's the heart's truth serum:

But when I taste tequila
Baby, I still see ya
Cuttin' up the floor in a sorority T-shirt
The same one you wore when we were
Sky high in Colorado, your lips pressed against the bottle
Swearing on a Bible, baby, I'd never leave ya
I remember how bad I need ya, when I taste tequila.

6. "One Shot" by Robin Thicke (featuring Juicy J.)

Just how much tequila is flowing in this 2016 pop tune? Get a bucket because I expect somebody to hurl any moment now.

The narrator describes picking up a woman at a dance club. While she's more of a two-shot drinker, he can really throw back the tequila shots, and he describes his tequila drinking with bravado. With five shots they were making out. Add four more shots and they were naked (really? in the club?). Three shots later, and they left the bar (with someone else driving, I hope). Two shots more, and the sloppy drunk guy was whispering something barely intelligible in her ear.

He knows he has one shot to love her all night long. But at this point, is that physically possible?

Reader Poll

7. "Tequila Sunrise" by The Eagles

The title of this 1973 rock classic is a play on words. "Tequila sunrise" refers to two things in this song:

1. a popular alcoholic beverage at the time as well as
2. the fact that the protagonist in the song has stayed up until sunrise drinking tequila.

The narrator is a hired hand in love with a girl who is out gallivanting with other men. He wants to talk to her about it so he uses tequila as his liquid courage, but he finds that the words to confront her never come.

8. "Jose Cuervo" by Shelly West

In this fun, upbeat country song from 1983, a woman wakes up on a Sunday morning, challenged to recall what exactly she might have done last night after drinking too much tequila. Did she ...

• kiss all the cowboys?
• shoot out the lights?
• dance on the bar?
• start any fights?

Then she looks over and sees a stranger sleeping next to her while she is wearing his shirt. (Uh, oh!) Blame it on the tequila! If you ascribe your own bad decisions to tequila and external circumstances, then make a fun playlist of additional songs about one-night stands. (Eh, why take personal responsibility?)

9. "Victoria" by Eve 6

Jealousy and distrust are sure gnawing at the boyfriend in this 2012 rock song. He has to drink tequila to calm his nerves. Even that doesn't help much.

While his girlfriend, Victoria, is in Mexico, the Mr. Nervous Nelly ruminates about what she might be up to, and none of it is good. Just because she didn't call like she was supposed to do, the possessive and imaginative guy fills his mind with lurid thoughts of what she might be doing there without him:

• groovin' to a Coldplay dance mix
• doing body shots off Italian guys and
• dancing with a vampire to bilingual disco music.

If he still cares this much he hasn't had enough tequila.

10. "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" by Joe Nichols

Bless the gullible. The guy in this funny country song from 2005 has bought all the excuses his partner has given him for her obvious infidelity. She's told him that tequila makes her clothes fall off.

As proof, our gullible friend attests that his sweetheart comes home from nights out on the town without one earring. She leaves jackets in restroom stalls. Even her pantyhose go missing. Tequila has quite an effect! Before she goes out tonight for margaritas with the girls, the trusting fella asks her to put another layer of clothes on just in case. It's a safety thing.

11. "Stays In Mexico" by Toby Keith

In this 2004 country song, tequila has lowered the inhibitions of these vacationers who are married but not to each other. Under the influence, they flirt, dance, and share a night of extramarital passion before returning to separate obligations back home.

The narrator, a bystander who observes the whole lurid affair, provides the following caution that may not go far enough:

Don't bite off more than you can chew,
There's things down here the devil himself wouldn't do,
Just remember when you let it all go,
What happens in Mexico,
Stays in Mexico.

12. "Toes" by Zac Brown Band

The Georgia boy in this 2009 country song has worked hard enough and needs a vacation, so he plants his patootie in the Mexican sand and liquors up. The narrator enjoys the beach and the locals and he drinks plenty of tequila and other adult beverages before running out of money and having to return home. Back in Georgia, his party continues.

If you love the great state of Georgia, you probably find yourself coming back to it no matter how far you roam. Make a playlist of songs about Georgia to celebrate it.

13. "I Think I'll Disappear Now" by Crash Test Dummies

If you've ever broken up with a dating partner and attempted thereafter to avoid them, then you'll appreciate this 1993 rock song. The narrator unexpectedly runs into an old girlfriend and the surprise is so jolting it's "like catching a sniff of tequila in the morning" — overpowering, unpleasant, and seriously out of context.

He realizes the time they spent together was brief and a long time ago. In addition to feeling awkward about their run-in, the narrator hypocritically blames her for not wanting to say much to him after all this time. She probably compares the experience to sniffing tequila in the morning as well.

Take the Tequila Quiz

For each question, choose the best answer. The answer key is below.

1. Tequila is made by steaming a portion of this plant:
   • sugar cane
   • juniper
   • blue agave
   • sugar beets
2. Which mixed drink typically has tequila in it?
   • paloma
   • sangrita
   • margarita
   • all of these
3. Some tequila distilleries still include this traditional step in the tequila-making process:
   • adding a worm to each bottle of tequila.
   • having a Catholic priest bless each batch.
   • tequila-makers mashing the agave pulp with their hands and feet.
4. Tequila is named after
   • a Mexican city.
   • an Aztec goddess.
   • an ancient Mexican custom.
5. The blue aguave plant is part of this family of plant:
   • cactus
   • lily
   • palm tree
6. Each year, National Margarita Day is celebrated on which day?
   • May 5
   • August 19
   • February 22

Answer Key

1. blue agave
2. all of these
3. tequila-makers mashing the agave pulp with their hands and feet.
4. a Mexican city.
5. lily
6. February 22

14. "Fix a Drink" by Chris Janson

Perhaps you're bummed out over a broken heart, a broken cell phone, world news, or the weather. We all have our troubles. Lucky for you, the guy in this fun 2017 country ditty has just volunteered to be your bartender. He's offering to hook you up with some Cuervo or other alcoholic beverage so that you can smile a little, get your buzz on, and forget about what's bugging you, at least for a little while.

15. "Last Name" by Carrie Underwood

What do you get when you combine a whole lot of Cuervo and equal amounts of bad judgment? The woman in this 2008 country ditty will tell you that it's nothing but trouble. She describes imbibing "a little bit too much of that poison" last night and hooking up with a guy on the dance floor. They ended up in Vegas, married by an Elvis impersonator (as evidenced by the wedding band she now wears). Unfortunately, she doesn't even know his last name.

If you enjoyed a little plotline mixed in with your music like the story that was told in this song, then make yourself a playlist of pop, rock, and country songs that tell a story.

16. "Just Might (Make Me Believe)" by Sugarland

Many people live paycheck to paycheck, and it can feel overwhelming buried under an ever-increasing pile of bills. The narrator in this 2005 country tune is beginning to buckle under the pressure.

Lately, she wonders if even love is enough to get them through. She thinks about the escape that a big margarita offers. An address on Easy Street might provide a nice respite, but she knows escaping is just a temporary fix.

17. "Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo" by Tracy Byrd

This is a lively sh*tkicking country tune from 2002. It describes a cowboy's quest to drown the memory of his former lover in enough tequila that he could swim in it.

With two rounds of Jose Cuervo, the lousy bar band was sounding pretty darn good. By four rounds, the narrator, who claimed to have two left feet, began schooling strangers in dance moves. He bought rounds for the whole place. By round ten, he started all over again, and by the end of the night, he not only forgot about his ex but also nearly forgot his own name. Let's hear it for tequila!

18. "He Drinks Tequila (She Talks Dirty in Spanish)" by Sammy Kershaw and Lorrie Morgan

In this spicy 2001 country song, country stars Sammy Kershaw and Lorrie Morgan— who were married to one another at the time—describe the wild way in which two Mexican lovers spend their "couple time." Known as the raucous king and queen of the local trailer park, the pair have certainly made a name for themselves with how they reconnect on weekends:

He drinks tequila, and she talks dirty in Spanish
Him in his sombrero, her in her purty pink jammies
They dance all night to the Mariachis
'Til there ain't nobody left standin'
He drinks tequila, and she talks dirty in Spanish.

Unfortunately, the duets between the two country superstars ended when Kershaw and Morgan divorced in 2007 after six tumultuous years. At one point they had a mutual restraining order against one another.

19. "Sing" by Ed Sheeran

This 2014 international favorite strays from Ed Sheeran's traditional folk style and mirrors Justin Timberlake's R&B and pop vibe. Pharrell Williams has collaborated with both musician-superstars and was influential in getting Ed Sheeran to experiment with the change.

Sheeran's tune is based on his tequila-fueled fling with a young woman he met in Las Vegas in 2013. He encouraged her to not be shy and to ignore his fame if she liked him. His first indication that she was a keeper came when she handed him a bottle of water filled with a bottle of tequila.

20. "One Tequila" by Darius Rucker

We should all know our limits, and for the guy in this 2013 country song, it's tequila. He can guzzle enough beer to float out of the door. He can handle whiskey 90 proof. Throw anything else his way and he's fine. Tequila is another story.

With tequila, he knows it's possible that he could

• wind up in a Tijuana jail
• cannonball naked into a neighbor's pool or
• make a fool of himself trying to fake his expertise in español.

Good thing he stays away from the stuff. How about you? What does tequila make you do?

Even More Songs About Tequila

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2018 FlourishAnyway

Comments

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on April 01, 2020:

Peggy - Drinking certainly is a favorite song subject, and tequila in particular. Thanks for reading. I hope you're staying well.

Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on March 31, 2020:

I am continually amazed at just how many songs have been written and sung about a single subject. This is educational and fun!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on December 03, 2018:

Dianna - Thank you for stopping by. Glad you found this interesting.

Dianna Mendez on December 02, 2018:

I don't drink the stuff at all but the songs are quite interesting.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 22, 2018:

Devika - Thank you for stopping by! There truly is a playlist for just about anything!

Devika Primic on November 22, 2018:

I didn't think of songs such as here. I listened to these songs but didn't realize what it is about. Interesting and unique.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 21, 2018:

Poppy - Glad to hear you've been there, done that, and now downshifted. At least you have the memories and know what not to do. Thanks for sharing your tequila memories. Have a great week.

Poppy from Enoshima, Japan on November 20, 2018:

Oh dear, I have a LOT of bad memories associated with tequila. Or memories of the morning after, more like. Just thinking "Newcastle 2012" makes me gag.

Good selection of songs. Tequila's definitely a drink for when you want to bring a party to the next level. You won't catch me near that stuff anymore, though.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 18, 2018:

Shyron - I'm not so much of a tequila drinker either, but I sure like some of the tequila songs. I was surprised to learn that there's no worm in tequila, that it's actually in a closely related product called mezcal, and then it's not always there. And the "worm" is actually a moth larvae. But that doesn't sound any better, does it? Some say it was a marketing ploy, others say that it genuinely enhances the flavor of mezcal. Hmmm. Have a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours as well.

Shyron E Shenko from Texas on November 17, 2018:

Flourish, I love your music hubs and this one is no exception, but with this one I can't think of one single song.

Q. Some people can handle their tequila, but for many, tequila handles them—roughly. Which are you?

A. I have never tasted tequila and doubt I ever will, I could never get over the thought of a worm in it.

Blessings and happy Thanksgiving

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 17, 2018:

Chris, Thank you for such a kind comment. I appreciate your support! Have a great weekend and holiday ahead!

Krzysztof Willman from Parlin, New Jersey on November 17, 2018:

I'm amazed at how creative you make these playlists, I would have never considered Tequila to be such a written about subject. Fantastic playlist as always.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 17, 2018:

Genna - I bet they were a blur! Thanks for sharing your memories. Have a good weekend.

Genna East from Massachusetts, USA on November 17, 2018:

Truth serum in a shot glass. Lol...I love it. (What happens in Mexico stays in Mexico.) I remember having my first shots of tequila in college, and am embarrassed to admit that weekend was a bit of a blur. I haven't really touched it since. Thanks again for bringing smiles to my day.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 16, 2018:

Heidi - I pulled that clip up and looked at it again. I think I've danced with somebody like that before! Have a wonderful weekend!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 16, 2018:

Linda - One playlist idea often leads to another so I have a number of playlists waiting in the wings just waiting to be written. I appreciate your stopping by even though I don't imagine you're much of a tequila drinker. :) Have a wonderful weekend!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 16, 2018:

Dora, It's amazing what people write songs about. While some songs just mention it or it's the key to their story, others do a full-blown homage to the beverage. Thank you for stopping by. Hope your weekend is a good one.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 16, 2018:

Tim - Four months in Mexico City for a twenty-something is quite a party. Everyone has to have that time in their youth to either look back in fondness, regret or a bit of both later. I might've danced on a bar or two down at my favorite Nashville honkytonk (when they were lowdown, before they became all upitty), but I had every stitch of clothes on and it was always rum I was drinking. Yee-haw!

Heidi Thorne from Chicago Area on November 16, 2018:

55+ songs? Wow. I didn't think there were that many. Of course, I can't help but think of Pee Wee Herman dancing to Tequila by The Champs. Cheers!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 16, 2018:

Frances - I'm glad this gave you such a giggle. People do some crazy things with the help of tequila. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 16, 2018:

Linda - Funny typo. Thank you. I fixed it. Wouldn't it be wonderful to make a fortune and a name for yourself on one book, recipe, song, piece of art, or whatever one's passion is? I'd sure love that.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 16, 2018:

Bill - Aww, now you have me jealous, seeing Dan + Shay. How you're a fan of them now.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 16, 2018:

Mary - Thank you! I hope those who like tequila especially enjoy the songs about it. Have a good weekend.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on November 16, 2018:

Pamela - It's too much for me, too! I'd be an on the floor type with just a few shots, I'm afraid.

Linda Crampton from British Columbia, Canada on November 15, 2018:

I'm impressed that you never run out of ideas for your playlist articles, Flourish. I didn't realize that so many songs have been written about tequila. I always learn something new from your articles.

Dora Weithers from The Caribbean on November 15, 2018:

Super interesting! Wasn't aware that tequila provided subject matter for any, let alone so many song lyrics. This is an education. Thanks!

Tim Truzy from U.S.A. on November 15, 2018:

Not a tequila drinker, Flourish, but I am a listener to music. I know a few of these, and tequila has a reputation to match these diverse tunes.

However, I did spend four months in Mexico City in my twenties, so I did have a chance to dance with this fun loving drink, or whatever.

I think tequila runs Margaritaville, and Jimmy and I certainly knew that when I visited Florida years ago.

Great play list.

always have fun reading these.

Flourish always sends people down Memory Lane, this time, with songs about tequila.

Much respect and admiration,

Tim

Frances Metcalfe from The Limousin, France on November 15, 2018:

Hi Flourish. I've just been laughing out loud reading this. So entertaining! You have such an easy style and perception of character. I'm not a cocktail girl, myself. I think the nearest I get is Pimms. Give me a glass of wine, or the occasional malt whisky to keep me happy.

Linda Lum from Washington State, USA on November 15, 2018:

Flourish, I don't drink hard liquor, so had no idea there were so many songs about this "truth serum in a shot glass." The only one I could think of was the Jimmy Buffett song (by the way, I think your table names him Jimmy Buttett). Did you know that he has made his fortune on that song? Not the song itself, but the hotels, casinos, and restaurants. His net worth is over $550 million!

Fun hub!

Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on November 15, 2018:

I'm blown away there are that many songs about tequila. I thought of the Eagles immediately,and I saw Dan & Shea sing their song last night, although I admit I had no idea who they were. lol I'm a bit outdated, I'm afraid.

Mary Norton from Ontario, Canada on November 15, 2018:

I have to admit I know very little about tequila though some family members indulge in it once in a while. You seem to find songs for everything. It is interesting.

Pamela Oglesby from Sunny Florida on November 15, 2018:

I only drank tequila once a long time ago, and I remember it being potent! I like the numerous songs, and I imagine there are many more about teguila than any other type of alcohol (excluding wine of course). Great article again. I like all the information you give about each song.