It’s not as popular in popular song as it once was, but pop hits that involved smoking, or using cigarettes or cigars as a metaphor, were once as prevalent as modern country songs that mention whiskey.
So for today’s K-Chuck Radio broadcast, let’s crack open a hard pack, flippo da zippo, and enter the world where menthol is considered a preferred flavor.
And we’ll start with …
SMOKE! SMOKE! SMOKE! (THAT CIGARETTE)
Tex Ritter
This talking blues record sold over a million pressings in the 1940’s, and was later covered by several other musicians and artists, including comedian Phil Harris. Arguably you could claim this was an early rap song, but … yeah.
LIPSTICK TRACES (ON A CIGARETTE)
The O’Jay’s
Long before the O’Jay’s were the soulful trio that defined Philadelphia soul, they were a Motown-influenced quintet that were still trying to find their way. This song, “Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)” did crack the soul chart in 1965, though.
BECAUSE I GOT HIGH
Afroman
Do you guys know how hard it was to find a clean, SFW version of this song? It took a while, trust me on this. I mean, some people actually read this blog while sitting at their cubicles at work, and the last thing I need them to hear is that lyric about Afroman singing about “I was gonna make love to you, but I got high…”
BLOWIN’ SMOKE
Kacey Musgraves
Then again, to use cigarettes as a metaphor for dreams and wishes that never come true … that’s the essence of a country music song, for sure.
SMOKIN’ CIGARETTES AND DRINKING COFFEE BLUES
Marty Robbins
See, THIS is what country music should sound like. Come on. Not whisky and trucks and trying that in a small town.
SMOKE TWO JOINTS
Sublime
When you think about the fantastic catalog of Sublime music, it kinda gets to you about how short their career really was. Rest in power, Bradley Nowell. And speaking of souls taken too soon..
CIGARETTES AND COFFEE
Otis Redding
Trust me. Otis Redding had a TON of fantastic tracks. Don’t ever limit yourself to just hearing “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay.”
ONE TOKE OVER THE LINE
Gail and Dale
Your eyes do not deceive you. This is the classic Brewer & Shipley track about smoking weed, as performed by two of the whitest-bread vocalists on the Lawrence Welk show. I guess they didn’t hear the part about having “one toke over the line” and concentrated more on the “Sweet Jesus,” but hey, to each their own.
I WANNA GET HIGH (SO HIGH)
Rita Marley
I’m going to end the blog post with this one. Because of course I’m going to end it with a track about lighting one up.
So if you’ve got a nicotine fix, or you’re searching for bliss with cannabis, you’re in the right place with K-Chuck Radio. And … they’re toasted.
Chuck The Writer 
And at one point in time, cigs were doctor-recommended.
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Smokin’ cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo; now don’t tell me I’ve nothin’ to do!
The prevalence of tobacco in song and story is fortunately fading away, but it will lead to confusion when future generations look back on our culture and either wonder what we were doing … or what the hell we were thinking.
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Yeah, how are we ever going to explain to these kids the concept of Captain Kangaroo? 😀
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