Drinkin' Songs: Rum and Coca-Cola

The Andrews Sisters: Rum and Coca-Cola

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I think it would be hard to enjoy a rum and coke and not want to start singing this song to yourself, especially if you've already had a few drinks. This song is a classic, quite literally. It was a #1 hit in 1945 for The Andrews Sisters, but this calypso song has earlier versions, just none quite as popular as this one.

It is a WWII era song about American troops on leave in Trinidad. When the song originally hit the air-waves in the 1940s it was controversial (and later banned) because of it's prominent mention of alcohol, but also because of it's lyrical content. At the time, The Andrews Sisters, as well as most of the listeners, did not pay much attention to what the song was actually about, which was the Trinidad harems the American troops were visiting on their leave. All the same, the song remains well-loved and is a lot of fun to sing along with and takes the situations as pleasant and not sinful or dangerous.