Song of the Week delves into the fresh songs we just can’t get out of our heads. Find these tracks and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, bluegrass behemoth Billy Strings recruits Willie Nelson for the stoner-friendly “California Sober.”
Country artists have long written about the trappings of alcohol. For every heartland ode to cold beer and Southern Comfort, there’s a counter offering that suggests alcohol is a major contributor to feeling disconnected, isolated, lovelorn, and insecure.
Weed, on the other hand, has a similar complicated past with country music, but in the last two decades, the cultural tide has begun to shift towards more explicit endorsements in the genre. In comes bluegrass extraordinaire Billy Strings to the fold, who has recruited longtime cannabis advocate Willie Nelson for a new song about kicking the hard stuff and, well, growing up. To say you’re “California Sober” means you’re refraining from every substance — alcohol, cocaine, pills, etc. — except for pot. It’s a common move for folks who are recovering from more intense addictions, who recognize the danger of alcohol and harder drugs, but turn to weed for its medicinal and stress-relieving properties.
Though the song’s central idea and cheery, upbeat tone suggest that “California Sober” is purely a joke, both Strings and Nelson are unapologetically earnest about it. “The old crew don’t get together much these days,” reflects Nelson on his second verse, concluding that “some went straight and some went straight to jail” and are now “busy posting vids and just trying to raise their kids/ Instead of raising holy hell and posting bail.”
For the 89 year-old Willie Nelson, it’s totally understandable that he’s not out with his old buddies getting blasted and making mistakes — but for Billy Strings, it’s a more fraught sacrifice. As he lays out his reasoning for laying off the booze, he eventually lands on the revealing final verse: “I was California Sober ’til I thought the world was over/ Now I’m sitting on the roadside once again/ And when that wagon passes by, I don’t even bat an eye/ Because the devil on my shoulder always wins.” It’s assumedly a reference to the bleakness of the pandemic, and how many folks turned back to their vices in the wake of global paranoia and anguish.
Even though Strings feels the knotty influence of a devil on his shoulder, his turn with Willie Nelson feels refreshing and warm. Their comforting harmonies are laced with sweetness, and as always with Billy Strings, the banjo, lap steel, and guitar work is unmatched. It’s a wonderful return to Strings’ usual buoyant country fare, and even approaching the age of 90, Willie Nelson is as charming as ever.
With just one song, Strings and Nelson seem to bring the best out in each other — and if “California Sober” is any indication, there’ll be plenty more smoke sessions in store for the two, devil or none. For more stoner-friendly jams, check out our recent list of the 50 Best Weed Albums of All Time.
— Paolo Ragusa
Associate Editor
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