"Cheap Wine and Cigarettes" is a song written by

Cary Barlowe Cary Barlowe (born 1982) is an American country music songwriter, and a former member of the rock band Luna Halo. Born in Virginia and raised in North Carolina, Barlowe originally performed with his older brother Nathan in the rock group Luna ...

and

Hillary Lindsey Hillary Lee Lindsey is an American singer-songwriter. She has written songs with or for a number of artists including Michelle Branch, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Shakira, Lady A, Gary Allan, Sara Evans, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Bon ...

and recorded by Canadian

country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...

singer

Jess Moskaluke Jessica Moskaluke (born June 4, 1990) is a Canadian country singer and songwriter. She released her debut studio album, '' Light Up the Night'' in April 2014, which includes the platinum-certified single "Cheap Wine and Cigarettes". She has one #1 ...

for her debut studio album, ''Light Up the Night'' (2014). It was released via MDM Recordings on March 18, 2014 as the second single off the album. Met with positive critical and commercial success, the song became Moskaluke's first to chart on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

(and then to reach the top 50), as well as her first to be certified by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

Content

"Cheap Wine and Cigarettes" is a midtempo

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

song with influences of

that describes an unhealthy relationship which the lyrics compare to an addiction. The titular drugs are used as a metaphor for the narrator's self-destructive habits, allowing her lover to get her "high" and then "leave era mess."

Music video

The official music video for "Cheap Wine and Cigarettes" was filmed live at

CMT Canada CMT is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned as a joint venture between Corus Entertainment (which owns a controlling 90% interest) and Paramount Networks Americas (which owns the remaining 10%), owners of the flagship CMT channel ...

; it was directed by Joel Stewart and premiered April 1, 2014.

Commercial performance

In its first week of release, "Cheap Wine and Cigarettes" was the most-added song on Canadian country radio. Aided by this warm reception, the song debuted at number 39 on the ''Billboard''

Canada Country The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

airplay chart, where it eventually reached a peak of 11. Its local success led to the song being picked up by

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...

radio station "

The Highway A highway is a long road giving a relatively fast connection between two places. Highway may also refer to: Roads in England * The Highway (London) (previously Ratcliff Highway), a road in the East End of London * The Highway, a road in Br ...

", which broadcasts in both Canada and the United States. "Cheap Wine and Cigarettes" debuted at number 82 on the ''Billboard''

for the chart issued May 3, 2014. It reached a peak position of 48 for one week on the chart issued May 31, 2014. In August 2014, the song was certified Gold by

, indicating sales of 40,000 units or more. In doing so, "Cheap Wine and Cigarettes" became the first certified single for her label MDM Recordings and Moskaluke became the first female Canadian artist to attain a Gold record since

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

, who last achieved the feat in 2004 with "

Party for Two "Party for Two" is a song recorded by the Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released as the lead single from her ''Greatest Hits'' compilation album. The song was written by Twain and her then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange. "Party for Two" ...

". The song was later certified Platinum in November 2016 with sales of over 80,000.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2014 songs 2014 singles MDM Recordings singles Songs written by Hillary Lindsey Songs written by Cary Barlowe Jess Moskaluke songs