Coverinfo
Bruce covered the song only once:
2014-02-22 Hope Estate, Hunter Valley, Australia
Springsteen performs at the Hope Estate Winery in Hunter Valley, a region of New South Wales. Dan Sultan opens for Bruce & Band. 26-song, three hour set opens with a tour one-off cover of Stick McGhee's "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee", an appropriate choice given the venue. The song has been covered by various artists, including Jerry Lee Lewis and Mike Bloomfield's Electric Flag, as "Wine", but this is the first ever Springsteen performance.
Songinfo
The R&B guitarist Sticks McGhee adapted this song from a chant he learned at Army boot camp. He first recorded it in 1947, but the song became a hit when McGhee signed with Atlantic Records and recorded it again in 1949. It became the first hit for Atlantic, which later was home to Led Zeppelin, Aretha Franklin, The Spinners and many others. A young Tom Dowd engineered the session; he went on to produce The Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, The Drifters and many others. Fairly tame by today's standards, this was a particularly raucous song when Sticks McGhee recorded it in 1949. It's about getting drunk and not caring who knows it. The song was an early influence on Jerry Lee Lewis and many other rock music pioneers. The title and chorus came from a 1937 song by Sam Theard called "
Spo-De-o-Dee." He's not drinking wine in that one, but dancing (yeah, we'll go with dancing). Theard is best known for co-writing the Louis Jordan song "Let The Good Times Roll." He later recorded under the name Spo-De-o-Dee.
Bruce on the artist
Lyrics
Down in New Orlean, where everything is fine
All them cats is drinkin' that wine
Drinking that mess to their delight
When they gets drunk, start singing all night
Drinkin' wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Pass that bottle to me
Drinking that mess to their delight
When they gets drunk, start fighting all night
Knocking down windows and tearin' out doors
Drinkin' half a gallons and callin' for more
Drinkin' wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Pass that bottle to me
Hoy, hoy, hoy
Wine, wine, wine, Elderberry
Wine, wine, wine, or Sherry
Wine, wine, wine, Blackberry
Wine, wine, wine, half an' half
Wine, wine, wine, oh boy
Pass that bottle to me
If you wanna get along in New Orleans town
Buy some wine and pass it all around
Age runs up for tonight
All those cats they love sweet wine
Drinkin' wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Pass that bottle to me
Hoy, hoy
Wine, wine, wine, Elderberry
Wine, wine, wine, or Sherry
Wine, wine, wine, Blackberry
Wine, wine, wine, half an' half
Wine, wine, wine, oh boy
Pass that bottle to me
Drink that slop
That's what I'm talkin' about
Ah, drink it
Sneaky Pete
Now down on Rampart street at Willy's Den
He wasn't selling but a little gin
One cat wanted a bottle of wine
He hit that cat for a dollar and a dime
Drinkin' wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Pass that bottle to me
Hoy, hoy
Wine, wine, wine, Elderberry
Wine, wine, wine, or Sherry
Wine, wine, wine, Blackberry
Wine, wine, wine, half an' half
Wine, wine, wine, oh boy
Pass that bottle to me
I've got a nickel, have you got a dime
Let's get together and get a little wine
Some [Incomprehensible]
And some [Incomprehensible]
Oh when you're buying sharing, now you're doing things smart
Drinkin' wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Wine spo-dee-o-dee, drinkin' wine, bop ba
Pass that bottle to me