My Whiskey Years

Album: Real Things (2007)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Tucked into Joe Nichols' 2007 album Real Things, known for the tender love song "Another Side Of You" and the lighthearted romp "It Ain't No Crime," is "My Whiskey Years," a melancholy tune about a man who has ruined his life by drinking. The album was released that August, and just two months later, Nichols checked into rehab.

    Reflecting on the song in 2008, he told The Boot: "It's one of the most personal songs of my career. It's one of those songs that I know helps me. It's great therapy, and it's great to have a song like this acknowledge the pain that sometimes a person can go through. That's what makes that song unique, is that it may not be for everybody, but for some people it's everything."
  • Nichols didn't write this song; it was written by Tom Hambridge and Jeffrey Steele. Hambridge has written a lot of songs for Susan Tedeschi and Buddy Guy; Steele's credits include "What Hurts The Most" by Rascal Flatts and "Stick That In Your Country Song" by Eric Church.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

Curt Kirkwood of Meat PuppetsSongwriter Interviews

The (Meat)puppetmaster takes us through songs like "Lake Of Fire" and "Backwater," and talks about performing with Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.

Movie Stars In Music Videos

Movie Stars In Music VideosSong Writing

Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis and John Malkovich are just a few of the film stars who have moonlighted in music videos.

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.