We all know the feeling. We’re going through a difficult break-up, and all we want are a pair of “whisky glasses” as, in the words of country music singer Morgan Wallen, we “don’t wanna see the truth.” Whereas we’re just left with a hangover and a hefty bar bill, Wallen scored a number-one hit on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart in June 2019 with the song Whiskey Glasses, which went on to gain three platinum certifications the following year - which no doubt helped ease his broken heart, and his bad head.
Putting on the Whiskey Glasses
The song Whiskey Glasses started life in 2015 when songwriter Ben Burgess came up with the idea during a writing session with Kevin Kadish. After deciding that the song would center on someone turning to drink in the wake of a bad breakup, Burgess, remembering a line his dad used to say when tipsy, came up with the opening lyric, “Poor me, pour me another drink.”
After successfully pitching the song to country star Morgan Wallen, it was recorded with producer Joey Moi and released in the summer of 2018 as the third single from Wallen’s album If I Know Me. However, Whisky Glasses was something of a sleeper affair, only rising in prominence and becoming a hit in 2019.
Whisky Glasses Lyrics
Whether you’ve got twenty-twenty vision, rock prescription cat eye glasses, or never go anywhere without a pair of designer shades, everyone’s worn “whiskey glasses” at some point in their lives when everything’s gone wrong.
The lyrics to Whiskey Glasses perfectly encapsulate this feeling, and the song’s relatability is no doubt the secret to its success. Starting with a lamentation on his break-up (“I just wanna sip ‘til the pain wears off”), Wallen goes on to spell out exactly why he needs a pair of whisky glasses: to stop him seeing, in his mind, his ex-girlfriend “making out on the couch right now / with someone new.” Ouch.
He also touches on another classic booze-and-break-up combo: the drunk dialing of the ex: “I swear this will be my last call / Now I ain’t drunk dialing no more at 3 am / Mr. Bartender hittin’ me again.” Yep, we’ve all been there.
Speaking about how his friends have helped him get through tough times in real life, the singer mused that Whisky Glasses’ bridge reprise - “line ‘em up, knock ‘em back, and fill ‘em up” - reminds him of his home community in East Tennessee and the importance of having friends around you when things go awry.
The Music Video
When it came to filming the video for Whiskey Glasses, Wallen was keen to bring a bit of uplift to the song’s drink-away-the-blues theme. He wanted a livelier feel as a counterpoint to the sadness of the lyrics. Directed by Justin Clough, the video starts with Wallen singing (and drinking) alone, lamenting his breakup, before moving on to a bar where he joins friends and, finally, sings the song in a live performance.
One of the pals joining Wallen at the bar is HARDY, a country music singer-songwriter and a friend of Wallen’s in real life, which helps add an authentic buzz to the video’s vibe. In early 2023, HARDY’s latest album, The Mockingbird & The Crow, topped the country music charts.
Breaking Records, Not Just Hearts
Whiskey Glasses may be a song about heartbreak, but its success has brought Morgan Wallen anything but: in February 2021, his second album, Dangerous: The Double Album, became the only country music album in the Billboard 200’s history to spend its first seven weeks in the number one spot. The album stayed at the top of the chart for ten weeks, becoming the first since the 1987 Whitney Houston LP, Whitney to do so.
Wallen’s third album, One Thing at a Time, released in 2023, saw all thirty-six of its tracks entering the Billboard Top 100, breaking the record for the most songs by an artist appearing on the chart at the same time. And to add to the achievements, the star’s single Last Night smashed several records (including one set by Billy Ray Cyrus) for consecutive weeks spent in the number one spot.
A Final Shot
In Whisky Glasses, for Wallen, a “double shot of that heartbreak proof” is the best way to get through the pain and, in the song, accept his newly single fate. Although we’d like to think that Wallen’s status as a Billboard number one artist means he’d be unlikely to stay single for too long.
