Ready to take some tunes for a spin? Here are a few of our favorite songs about marijuana. The weed songs on this list are all classics: These are some of the most iconic songs about cannabis ever recorded, even today. Let’s dive in!
Songs About Marijuana: Our Favorite Weed Tunes
“One Toke Over the Line” (1970, Brewer & Shipley)
We’ll kick off our list with something a little lighthearted. “One Toke Over the Line” is perhaps one of the oldest recorded popular songs about marijuana, and its legacy has endured until the present day. For being so titanic, it has fairly humble origins. Mike Brewer recounted that he heard bandmate Tom Shipley say “I think I’m one toke over the line” during a session. The phrase stuck with Brewer, and later became the lyrics to the song.
However, the only reason the song’s popularity has persisted is thanks to a stroke of luck. Back in the day, FCC agents would sit and listen to songs on the radio to ensure that stations only played songs that complied with their standards. In 1971, they added “toke” to a list of banned words. As a result, “One Toke Over the Line” was no longer fit for radio. Fortunately, the FCC later rescinded these standards, and the tune graced airwaves once again.
“Smoke Two Joints” (The Toyes, 1983)
You may know this tune thanks to a hugely popular cover version released by Sublime in 1994. But the California ska-reggae-punk legends didn’t actually write “Smoke Two Joints.” And thanks to this song’s huge popularity during the rise of Peer-to-Peer file sharing programs in the mid- and late-2000s, many listeners also mistakenly think Bob Marley penned it. But that’s not the case either.
Instead, the song traces its origins back to 1983. Two founding members of The Toyes, Mawg and Sky, were living in the Waikiki area of O’ahu. Their mother, living in France at the time, financed recording the song. Eventually, California-based radio DJ Dr. Demento (real name Barry Hanson) heard the track and played it on his radio station. It became immediately popular and has been ever since.
“Because I Got High” (Afroman, 2001)
“Because I Got High” is a modern classic. Make no mistake: it’s made just as much of an impact on cannabis culture as the other two songs on this list, it was just released more recently. Ask anyone who both grew up after this song’s release and used cannabis, and they’ll tell you they’re familiar with it.
Recorded by Afroman in just a few minutes, “Because I Got High” appears on his 2001 album The Good Times. It’s the artist’s first album and helped propel him from obscurity to national fame. It was also one of the fist songs to go viral, spreading quickly around the internet and making an appearance on the Howard Stern Show.
Classic Weed Songs: Wrapping Up
If you haven’t heard any of these songs, give them a listen! And if you’d like to pair your experience with cannabis, be sure to stop by your local Exclusive dispensary to stock up on supplies. You can also shop our online menus from the comfort of home. Either way, we look forward to seeing you!
