Musical Analysis #1

"Red Solo Cup"- Toby Keith

I have heard this song ever since I was a kid it was my mom's favorite snog same with my grandma and my uncles and my dad would blast this song when he was drawing or cleaning the house. I love the snog the lyrics, the tempo and Rythm. Every time I see a red solo cup the snog pops in my head. It's been drilled into my memory.







Toby Keith - Red Solo Cup (Unedited Version) - YouTube

The Lyrics

Toby Keith says, "It's the stupid song I ever heard in my life, but it's so stupid it's good". The snog was never supposed to be record for people to hear. The lyrics simple and easy to keep up with. Its thought to be "nursery rhyme stupid" that once some hears the song the lyrics are in their head, and they will be singing to the song in their head hours later. Red solo cup has always been known as the party cup and this song just puts it out there more, 

"Red solo cup uh huh

I fill you up

Let's have a party".

The Tempo

There is 164 BPM in the song witch last 3 minutes and 43 seconds. At first that seemed really fast when I found that out but knowing how the snog is sang and wrote it seems write. It's not fast to where you have no clue what is being said. It's also sang as a singing/ talking type song, easy to keep track of where the song is.

The Timbre

There's not much that goes into this song. You can hear the banjo the entire song at the same richness as Toby Keith's voice. 


Sources:

Hackett, Vernell. "TOBY KEITH, 'RED SOLO CUP'-STORY BEHIND THE SONG." The Boot, 29 Oct. 2014, Toby Keith, 'Red Solo Cup' -- Story Behind the Song (theboot.com). Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

"Red Solo Cup." Musictax, 2023, musicstax.com/track/red-solo-cup/4YKAOXyqkKZ5gOZR0AmVMN. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Comments

  1. LisaOctober 8, 2023 at 5:32 PM

    Hi Ian,
    Thanks for sharing Red Solo Cup. I vaguely remember this song when it was released. My first reaction when watching the video was to say I hate this song and move on to another blog, but it's probably because of my age and my life experiences with family members and alcohol. So that's not really fair, I suppose. Going to high school and college (the first time) in Dallas, Texas, I listened to my share of Toby Keith and I think I even saw him in concert at a big country bar. So, I do have an appreciation for country music and understand the craziness of some of it- (have you ever heard Copenhagen by Chris LeDoux?).
    I did listen to it twice, and as you stated it's already on repeat in my head, so it's a very catchy tune. The spoken bridge towards the end to me seems to portray the emotional low of drinking too much alcohol in contrast to the silliness of being drunk.
    I can totally appreciate country songs that were played when I was a child and understanding how they help us feel connected to good times and family. I love that most in your post. Thanks again for giving me a song to think about that I probably would never have listened to on my own.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dawson VranaNovember 3, 2023 at 1:59 PM

    Toby Keith is one of my favorite artists of all time! This song is certainly one of his more interesting songs! as you stated, its definitely one that's very simple and catchy. One thing I have noticed as I've gotten older is how much alcohol can be glamorized in country songs. I have spent a lot of time in Nashville, and have seen very closely first hand how people hear certain songs and it leads them to want to party and drink. a good example of this would be "1, 2 Many " by Luke Combs. Even Toby Keith has other songs that really normalize bar hopping and staying out partying Such as "I Love This Bar".

    ReplyDelete

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