"Drunk" is the opening track from Plaid On Flannel's debut album Fairbairn Meadows. It's like my "Purple Haze" or "Welcome To The Jungle". An introduction to an album premiere as an artist. I wrote the music for "Drunk" sometime in the spring of 2011. Within the same writing session, I wrote the music for "Potential" which would turn out to be the 2nd track on Fairbairn Meadows. I must've been in a rockin' mood that day as I was planning on crafting the kind of rock sound I was looking for in my solo project.
On September 3, 2011, Plaid On Flannel was officially in business when I started producing POF's debut album. Later that same month on September 21, 2011, R.E.M. announced that they were breaking up as a band. As they're one of my favourite rock acts of all time, I felt like it was an omen that they finished and I started within weeks of each other. Like a passing of the torch. I was lucky enough to see R.E.M. in concert 3 years earlier on June 8, 2008 at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto. They greatly inspired the music I wrote leading up to Plaid On Flannel. So I decided to cite them as a primary influence as I began recording POF's debut album Fairbairn Meadows.
After producing 6 songs for the album, I started recording "Drunk" on February 6, 2012. At that point, I hadn't even written lyrics for the tune yet. This was something I did periodically while recording the Fairbairn Meadows album. Sometimes getting to the point where I would completely re-write the lyrics of a song I wrote years earlier. The lyrics for "Drunk" were written on February 11, 2012. You guessed it, the song is about intoxication! I was a party animal in those days. Through high school and college I would funnel beer regularly. I also did a lot of drugs, but never really had a dependency on substances. "Drunk" was intended to be a party anthem that me and my friends could bang our heads to. The lyrics to "Drunk" really describe my life in those days as a heavy partier. But the core message in "Drunk" is one of celebration and unity.
"Drunk" is characterized by elements of hard rock and alternative. The instrumental post-chorus of the song was influenced by part of Black Sabbath's "Into The Void". In fact, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin are probably the main influences behind "Drunk" musically. When also considering there's a lot of lead guitar in the tune. I finished recording "Drunk" on February 14, 2012, and the entire Fairbairn Meadows album was released on July 1, 2012. "Drunk" is a song I tried playing with the Plaid On Flannel band from 2014-2017, but the lead vocals became too difficult for me to sing. The melodies are out of my vocal range in the tune's key of E. We tried playing it in a lower key, but the verse melody is very compacted. It's hard to find any spaces to breathe. So instead of re-writing the lyrics, we ditched it completely. The song will always be "Drunk" to me. Which is why it will live on as the opening track from Plaid On Flannel's debut album.
lyrics
Words and music by Nolan Randall
Nothin’ to lose, you got somethin’ to choose
I got a playlist goin’ with a bottle of booze
All the boys will be there
And the girls will be scared
We’ve got enough of everything
For everybody’s share
Feelin’ so good
Got a night that I want to remember
Make it the real thing
Don’t want to be a pretender
I don’t wanna fight, the beer you drink is light
Go off and do your dirty deeds into the night
Stay away from the white, I think I lost my sight
Mama, can you tell me when it’s gonna end?
I’ve got too many allies and not enough friends
Too much of anything won’t help me get through
I’ve learned a thing or two
And I hope you have too
Forget about your life and focus on the night
Whatever’s gone wrong will soon turn out right
Don’t have to lend a hand or travel to a land
The D.J. has been replaced by a band
40 of whiskey and a 26er of Jager
Feelin’ so drunk
My walk, it’s turning into a stagger
I don’t wanna fight, the beer you drink is light
Go off and do your dirty deeds into the night
Stay away from the white, I think I lost my sight
Mama, can you tell me when it’s gonna end?
I’ve got too many allies and not enough friends
Too much of anything won’t help me get through
I’ve learned a thing or two
And i hope you have too
Mama, can you tell me when it’s gonna end?
I’ve got too many allies and not enough friends
Too much of anything won’t help me get through
I’ve learned a thing or two
And I hope you have too
Plaid On Flannel is an alternative indie blues rock act from Toronto, Canada. With 80+ original songs recorded since 2011,
singer-songwriter Nolan Randall has remained the sole constant member of the band. POF's music is known for guitar riffs/solos, memorable hooks, catchy melodies/harmonies, evocative lyrics, & superb musicianship. While keeping a focus on originality and songwriting quality....more
Combining crooned murder ballads with raw, angsty hard rock hooks, Melbourne's The Ugly Kings are a wrecking crew well worth watching. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 15, 2021
The slashing roots rock on “Out On the Line” always makes its way to the kind of triumphant chorus that quickens the pulse. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 2, 2023
Brighton, UK band leaven surging hard rock with spaced-out stoner-doom on their second LP, recorded in an old chapel on the English coast. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 9, 2022
The surprisingly comical new video from roaring metal group Red Fang is a tip of the hat to the original “Predator.” Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 12, 2016
