May 1, 2020 —– Chart #19
Hello Musical Friends,
It’s Friday . . . . come on weekend! Today’s song will probably come under the heading “Wow, I haven’t heard that song forever”. Todays Chart of the Day is “One Toke Over The Line” by Brewer & Shipley. “One Toke Over the Line” is a song written and performed by American folk rock duo Brewer & Shipley. It is a track from their 1970 LP Tarkio, and was released as their debut single in early 1971. Mike Brewer gives this account of the origin of the song, “One day we were pretty much stoned and all and Tom says, “Man, I’m one toke over the line tonight.” I liked the way that sounded and so I wrote a song around it.”
The song gained popular acclaim while the band was touring as an opening act for Melanie (remember “Brand New Key”?), after they received an encore but had run out of other songs to play. Spiro Agnew said the song with its reference to marijuana use was “blatant drug-culture propaganda” that “threatens to sap our national strength,” pressuring the FCC to include the song on its list of music banned from the airwaves because of drug references. Reportedly, a small number of copies included a demo version of the song. The song peaked at #10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #8 Cash Box during the spring of 1971, and was the duo’s only Top 40 hit. It also reached #5 in Canada (guess the draft dodgers loved it) and #7 in New Zealand.
Brewer & Shipley are an American folk rock duo who enjoyed their peak success in the late 1960s through the 1970s, consisting of singer-songwriters Mike Brewer (born in 1944) and Tom Shipley (born in 1941). They were known for their intricate guitar work, vocal harmonies, and socially conscious lyrics which reflected the concerns of their generation — especially the Vietnam War, and the struggles for personal and political freedom. Their greatest commercial success was the song “One Toke Over the Line” from their 1970 album Tarkio. They had two other singles on the Billboard charts: “Tarkio Road” (1970) and “Shake Off The Demon” (1971). They continue to perform, both separately and together, usually in the Midwest of the USA.
Keep Rockin’,
Stan