As is usually the case, Colorado has played host to some of the biggest names in music throughout 2016. From classic performers to contemporary pop stars, there’s been some impressive variety showcased all around the state. But one subtle factor that links some of the biggest acts that have come through the state this year is that several of them have songs that are about (or at least inspired by) gambling.
There’s just something about casino culture that seems to appeal to a lot of songwriters, whether its the natural drama of risk and reward, the attached vices, or the ease with which a song about gambling can be a metaphor for something else. Whatever it is, it’s led to a lot of pretty great songs over the years. Here’s our look at some of the best ones, including those from a few artists who played for Colorado audiences this year.
“Deal” by Grateful Dead
“Deal” could be interpreted in a few different ways, but for the most part it seems to be a metaphor for taking chances and/or not missing out on opportunity. But the lyrics are pretty much overflowing with gambling language. Lines like “I been gambling hereabouts for ten good solid years,” “watch each card you play and play it slow,” and the repeated “wait until that deal come round, don’t you let that deal go down” pretty much say it all. They didn’t actually play “Deal,” but Dead & Company (a touring group comprised of original members and guest performers like John Mayer) played at Folsom Field in Boulder this summer to the delight of droves of Dead Heads.
“Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses
It’s a high-energy song that may be as well known as anything GNR ever did, but “Paradise City” has its share of gambling language as well. While it’s not a song explicitly about gambling, the very term “Paradise City” can make a lot of people think of someplace like Las Vegas or Atlantic City, and lines like “rags to riches or so they say,” and “you know it’s all a gamble when it’s just a game” can certainly evoke images of the lights and excitement of the casino. Incidentally, it appears that a popular gaming company thought GNR was relevant enough to gamblers to support their own online casino game. Amidst a wide range of casino arcades inspired by fiction and pop culture, a Guns N’ Roses title is full of imagery of the band and abbreviated versions of some of the band’s greatest hits.
“Rambling, Gambling Willie” by Bob Dylan
Dylan’s another artist who’s already come to Colorado this year, performing as part of a Father’s Day event that spanned several days in June. The show received lackluster reviews, but Dylan is always a thrill for a lot of people, either because they’re lifelong fans or because they’ve never seen him live before. He makes this list, however, because of “Rambling, Gambling Willie,” which is a musical short story about a gambler. It’s a uniquely Dylan-esque tune and perhaps one that’s more explicitly related to gambling activity than any other.
“The Jack” by AC/DC
If Dylan has provided us with the definitive musical gambling story, AC/DC has probably come closest to simply outlining a game of poker in “The Jack.” Pretty much every line in the song pertains to a given card or aspect of a poker game, and while that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s meant to be about poker in a literal sense, it’s hard to take it many other ways. AC/DC also played Colorado this year even though it was a little while back during a February performance at the Pepsi Center.
Those are just a few of the great gambling-related songs that come to mind, and there are many others. Fans of oldies might point to “Luck Be A Lady” by Frank Sinatra or Kenny Rogers’ classic, “The Gambler,” and more contemporary music lovers may look to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” in an article like this. But those examples only seem to reinforce the idea that something about gambling appeals to songwriters, and has for many decades.
+ There are no comments
Add yours