Red Solo Cup

Album: Clancy's Tavern (2011)
Charted: 15
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This drinking song was written by Brett and Jim Beavers with Brad and Brett Warren; Solo is a brand of disposable cups that are often filled with beer from a keg and found scattered about the next morning after the party. "I don't remember who played it for me the first time, but it was so stupid I just died laughing," recalled Keith. "What's great about this song is it does everybody the same way it did me: 'That's the stupidest song in the world and I can't get it out of my head.' I laugh every time I hear it. Sometimes it's good for the world to hear something like that."
  • When Keith decided to record the song he decided that he didn't want to make it his version of what the Beavers and Warren brothers wrote. Instead, he decided to make them part of it. He said: "We brought them in when we cut it, to play and sing background, so it really sounds like them."
  • Keith explained the song's meaning: "The song is basically a bunch of frat party people getting hammered, drinking out of a red Solo cup and all the stupid stuff they do. They actually praise the red Solo cup for all the important things and usages that it has. You're going to find it really stupid but you'll be singing it the next day when you wake up."
  • Keith explained to The Boot that he decided to cut this for Clancy's Tavern, as he "didn't have a bus song like 'Weed With Willie' or 'Get Out of Your Clothes or Get Out of My Car.'
  • How many celebrities can you name in the star-studded music video? If you recognized all of Larry Bird, Lance Burton, Eric Church, Roger Clemens, Jeff Dunham, Craig Ferguson, Sammy Hagar, Joe Nichols and Ted Nugent, we say reward yourself with a red cup filled with your favorite beverage!
  • The Beavers and Warren brothers never intended the song to be pitched to anyone to record, but Keith got to hear the tune after someone who worked for him played it.
  • "Red Solo Cup" was voted the worst country song that was a big hit in a 2019 poll of The Boot readers.
  • Fans raised their red solo cups to toast Toby Keith after he died on February 5, 2024 following a battle with stomach cancer. A very moving tribute took place at the CMT Awards on April 7 when cups were distributed to the audience and, with his family in attendance, collectively toasted to his memory. Brooks & Dunn, Sammy Hagar and Lainey Wilson each covered one of his songs.

Comments: 3

  • Deena Quick from Pomona CaI love Red Solo Cup. It makes me laugh and yes it’s kinda stupid but collage kids write it. If it comes on the radio I crank it up. It’s a fun song. Even Toby said he thought it was stupid he made fun. It’s a party song.
  • Michaela from Atkinson, NhI find this song totally idiotic and yet amazingly catchy and fun! I am a big Toby Keith fan, he's a great person and an awesome entertainer/performer (as I have seen him in concert recently). I wouldn't listen to this particular song on my own but if it were to come on the radio, I likely would not change the station.
  • Karen from Manchester, NhWorst tune ever, with the worst lyrics ever, supported by the worst video ever (celeb cameos do NOT make a great video). It has never made me laugh, or even smile. As soon as it comes on, I change the channel/station. Toby Keith has steadily declined in the past few years.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")Songwriter Interviews

Inspired by his dear friend, "Seasons in the Sun" paid for Terry's boat, which led him away from music and into a battle with Canadian paper mills.

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")Songwriter Interviews

A top country songwriter, Barry talks about writing hits for Little Big Town, Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."