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Historically speaking, we\u2019re not sure whether humans learned how to make music or smoke weed first. Either way, the two have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship.<\/p>\n
Many of rock\u2019s greatest acts have written songs about getting high on marijuana. Some have praised the drug\u2019s euphoric effects, while others have suggested its influence could actually bring on inspiration.<\/p>\n
With so much material created in reverence of Mary Jane, it\u2019s a difficult task to name a Big 4 of Weed Songs. We took into account things like legacy, creativity and popularity, and came up with the foursome below.<\/p>\n
Would you believe one of the greatest pothead anthems of all time was concocted at a party? “It didn’t come together until a party in Novato, north of San Francisco,\u201d Steve Miller<\/a> recalled in a 2012 interview with Mojo<\/em>. \u201cI sat on the hood of a car under the stars with an acoustic guitar making up lyrics and ‘I’m a joker, I’m a smoker, ‘I’m a midnight toker’ came out.\u201d<\/p>\n Everything about \u201cThe Joker\u201d \u2013 from its comfortable lilt to its carefree chorus \u2013 feels like its wrapped in a delightful haze. Released as the lead single for his 1973 album of the same name, the track was quickly embraced by stoners and rock fans alike. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974 and remains the Steve Miller Band<\/a>\u2019s signature tune.<\/p>\n The sound of someone coughing after inhaling marijuana smoke welcomed listeners at the opening of Black Sabbath<\/a>\u2019s third studio album, Master of Reality<\/em>. The noise launched straight into the classic \u201cSweet Leaf,\u201d Sabbath\u2019s beloved ode to pot. “Yes, this was done deliberately. And totally appropriate for the song, because it is about marijuana,” drummer Bill Ward<\/a> confirmed to Metal Hammer<\/em> in 2016, adding that it was guitarist Tony Iommi<\/a> who provided the cough. \u201cHe’d just sucked on a big joint,” Ward explained. “We had the tapes rolling, and it was the perfect way to begin the record.”<\/p>\n Sabbath were no strangers to drug use, and \u201cSweet Leaf\u201d celebrated their favorite narcotic at the time. \u201cMy life was empty, forever on a down \/ Until you took me, showed me around \/ My life is free now, my life is clear \/ I love you sweet leaf, though you can’t hear,\u201d<\/em> Ozzy Osbourne<\/a> proclaims during the tune. More than just a weed classic, \u201cSweet Leaf\u201d introduced the world to stoner metal.<\/p>\n Bob Dylan<\/a> has continually insisted that “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” was not intended to be a drug song. Instead, he claimed the lyrics utilized the biblical definition of the term stoned, suggesting that people who go against the norm get punished. Given that Dylan had recently suffered backlash for transitioning from folk to rock, the explanation makes sense. But also\u2026 Come on! This is Bob Dylan<\/em> we\u2019re talking about. The man has incredible linguistic dexterity that he wields in every song he\u2019s ever written. Are we really supposed to believe that he didn\u2019t want people to interpret a chorus that declared \u201cEverybody must get stoned\u201d<\/em> as anything but an ode to marijuana?<\/p>\n Like most things with Dylan, the truth contains many layers. We\u2019re guessing he intended the tune \u2013 with its jangly, intoxicated brass band arrangement \u2013 to both criticize society and celebrate the joy of a joint. Regardless, stoners everywhere have been singing along with “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” for 60 years.<\/p>\n Conspiracy Theory:<\/strong> 12 x 35 = 420 Is that really<\/em> just a coincidence?<\/p>\n In a 2014 interview with Men\u2019s Journal,<\/em> Tom Petty<\/a> referred to himself as \u201ca reefer guy,\u201d describing cannabis as \u201ca musical drug.\u201d The singer was always happy to let other people conjure up their own interpretations for his 1993 hit \u201cLast Dance With Mary Jane,\u201d never revealing whether it was inspired by a marijuana, a woman or something completely different.<\/p>\n \u201cMy take on it is it can be whatever you want it to be,\u201d Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell<\/a>\u00a0once remarked to Songfacts<\/a>. \u201cA lot of people think it\u2019s a drug reference, and if that\u2019s what you want to think, it very well could be, but it could also just be a goodbye love song.\u201d<\/p>\n With a chorus that says \u201cLast dance with Mary Jane \/ One more time to kill the pain”<\/em> it\u2019s easy to understand why fans have commonly viewed \u201cMary Jane\u2019s Last Dance\u201d as an ode to weed. The tune remains eternal and is the most streamed song in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ catalog, racking up more than half a billion streams on Spotify.<\/p>\n There’s a common thread running through Tom Petty’s catalog, and it’s the Heartbreakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBlack Sabbath, \u2018Sweet Leaf\u2019<\/h3>\n
Bob Dylan, ‘Rainy Day Women #12 & 35’<\/h3>\n
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, ‘Mary Jane’s Last Dance’<\/h3>\n
The Best Song From Every Tom Petty Album<\/h2>\n