"Spill the Wine" is the debut single by singer

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, pow ...

and the band

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, released in May 1970. It was backed by the non-album track " Magic Mountain", and was War's first ''Billboard'' chart hit.''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' -

Song description and history

"Spill the Wine" first appeared on the album ''Eric Burdon Declares War'' and runs 4:51. Its writing credits include the members of War: Papa Dee Allen, Harold Brown,

B.B. Dickerson BB, Bb, or similar, may refer to: In arts and entertainment *BB, abbreviation for a catalogue of works by Béla Bartók * ''BB'' (album), by Mod Sun (2017) *"BB Talk", 2015 song by Miley Cyrus * BB (Transformers), a character in the franchi ...

Lonnie Jordan Leroy Jordan (born November 21, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter. He is a founding member of the American funk band War. Jordan had a number of roles over the years, acting as vocalist and playing guitar, piano, synthesizer, and percussion ...

, Charles Miller,

Lee Oskar Lee Oskar (born 24 March 1948) is a Danish harmonica player, notable for his contributions to the sound of the rock-funk fusion group War, which was formed by Howard E. Scott and Harold Brown, his solo work, and as a harmonica manufacturer. H ...

, and Howard E. Scott. The song was inspired by an accident in which keyboardist

spilled wine on a

mixing board A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals from electric or electronic inst ...

. It features a prevalent flute solo, and the sound of a woman speaking Spanish—a friend of Eric Burdon—is heard in the background. An edited version, released as a promo single for radio stations and subsequently included on most compilations, omits the middle spoken recitation, plus one chorus. The song was re-released as a single in 1996, after a remix by

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern, August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

Chart history

"Spill the Wine" was War's first hit, and their only hit with Eric Burdon as vocalist. It peaked at number 3 on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100. ''Billboard'' ranked the single the number 20 song of 1970. It was also a top 3 hit in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and Australia in mid-November 1970.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Use in media

Films

"Spill the Wine" has been used in the sound tracks of the following motion pictures: * '' Boogie Nights'' (1997) * '' Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo'' (1999) * ''

Remember the Titans ''Remember the Titans'' is a 2000 American biographical sports film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay, written by Gregory Allen Howard, is based on the true story of coach Herman Boone, portrayed by Denze ...

'' (2000)

Television

The song was used in the sound tracks of the following television episodes: * ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart ...

'', episode "That's No Lady, That's My Cousin"; * '' Dexter'', episode "A Horse of a Different Color" (while characters Joey Quinn and

Angel Batista Angelo "Angel" Juan Marcos Batista (; Spanish ) is a fictional character in the Showtime television series ''Dexter'' and the novels by Jeff Lindsay upon which it is based. He is portrayed in the television series by David Zayas. Batista spe ...

are smoking marijuana). * '' Shameless'', episode "Requiem for a Slut"

Cover versions

1970s through 1990s

"Spill the Wine" has been covered by: *

Melvin Sparks Melvin Sparks (March 22, 1946 – March 15, 2011) was an American soul jazz, hard bop and jazz blues guitarist. He recorded a number of albums for Prestige Records, later recording for Savant Records. He appeared on several recordings with musici ...

, on his ''Sparks'' album (1970) *

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...

, on their ''Givin' It Back'' album (1971) *

2nu 2NU (pronounced "two new", and later 2NU2) is an American pop music group based in Seattle, Washington. Their music consists of spoken word performances accompanied by beats and sound effects. They are best known for their single "This Is Ponder ...

on their ''Ponderous'' album (1989) *

Lighter Shade of Brown A Lighter Shade of Brown (LSOB) was an American hip hop duo from Riverside, California best known for their 1990 hit single "On a Sunday Afternoon", a success in the U.S., written by songwriters and musicians David Dunson and Micah Carson. His ...

on their ''Brown & Proud'' album (1990) *

Freaked Out Flower Children Freaked Out Flower Children were an Australian band which formed in 1991 with actress and TV presenter, Sophie Lee, on saxophone and vocals. Other members were Gumpy Phillips (ex-Battle Happy, Mighty Big Crime) on guitar and vocals; Tricky J (Mi ...

on their 1991 album ''Love In''; reached number 31 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. *

Michael Hutchence Michael Kelland John Hutchence (22 January 1960 – 22 November 1997) was an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Hutchence co-founded the rock band INXS, which sold over 75 million records worldwide and was inducted into th ...

on the ''

Barb Wire Barb Wire may refer to: * Barb wire, a fencing material * Barb Wire (character), a comic book superhero published by Dark Horse Comics * ''Barb Wire'' (1996 film), starring Pamela Anderson, based on the comic book * ''Barb Wire'' (pinball), pinb ...

'' soundtrack (1996).

2000s–2010s

In 2001, The B-Side Players included a cover on their album ''Movement''. The same year, Los Mocosos included a version on their album ''Shades of Brown''. In 2004, flautist Alexander Zonjic performed a cover of "Spill the Wine" for his album ''Seldom Blues''. San Francisco band Vinyl covered "Spill the Wine" on their album ''Frogshack Music Volume II'' in 2009, in a track featuring

Sugar Pie DeSanto Sugar Pie DeSanto (born Peylia Marsema Balinton, October 16, 1935) is an American R&B singer and dancer, whose career in music flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. Early life DeSanto was born to an African-American mother, who was a concert pianis ...

and Marcus Scott. The revival of the 1970s band The L.A. Carpool covered "Spill the Wine" with a Latin salsa flair in 2012, in a track that featured well-known Latin drummer Richie "Gajate" Garcia and other well-known Latin musicians. On October 31, 2013, jam band Widespread Panic covered the song, opening the second set of their show at UNO arena in New Orleans, and again at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on New Year's Eve of 2013. On February 23, 2014, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band opened their concert at the Hope Estate Winery in the Hunter Valley of NSW, Australia, with a nine-minute version of the song, the world premiere of their version. In 2019, the song was released by

as the lead single from the compilation album '' Mystify: A Musical Journey with Michael Hutchence''.

Miscellaneous

In a 2008 interview, Lonnie Jordan referred to Eric Burdon as the first Latin rapper in pop music.

References

External links

* "Spill the Wine" Song Reviewon

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

website {{Authority control 1970 songs 1970 debut singles 1971 singles War (American band) songs Eric Burdon songs The Isley Brothers songs Cashbox number-one singles Songs about alcohol Songs about dreams Song recordings produced by Jerry Goldstein (producer) MGM Records singles Songs written by Eric Burdon