It's no surprise that country music includes plenty of songs about beer and alcohol, but country singers and songwriters have also written their fair share of tunes about food. Sometimes a song uses a food item to convey a deeper message, and sometimes it's just about enjoying good eatin'. In fact, country music isn't the only musical genre that features some delicious lyrics. Rock songs that mention food include Warrant's "Cherry Pie," The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" & "Savoy Truffle," Don McLean's "American Pie," Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me," Weezer's "Pork And Beans," The Smashing Pumpkins' "Mayonaise," Van Halen's "Ice Cream Man," and the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar."
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Songs about food have also made their way into pop, hip-hop, and indie music with Maroon 5's "Sugar," Rihanna's "Birthday Cake," Kelis' "Milkshake," and Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes." Other tunes that feature references to food include Jimmy Buffett's "Cheeseburger In Paradise," The Strangelove's "I Want Candy," The Supremes' "Buttered Popcorn," The Newbeats' "Bread and Butter," Booker T. & the M.G.'s "Green Onions," and the classic "Lollipop" by The Chordettes. While these are all deserving songs of other genres, country music has plenty of songs about food to choose from. Here are 7 of the best songs for your country music playlist that mention food. One warning, though: they may make you hungry.
1. "Chicken Fried," Zac Brown Band
Some country fans may have been confused when Zac Brown Band released "Chicken Fried" as their debut single. At first glance, it's simply a song about fried chicken, but the song as a whole is meant to celebrate Brown's upbringing and the simpler things in life, such as sweet tea, pecan pie, homemade wine, and of course, chicken fried. The song also takes on a patriotic tone when Brown thanks the servicemen and women who have sacrificed their lives so their fellow Americans can live free and enjoy the good things in life. This debut single was nominated for a Grammy in 2009.
2. "Watermelon Crawl," Tracy Byrd
Tracy Byrd started a new line dance trend with the release of his famous food song, "Watermelon Crawl," in 1994. This song takes place at a watermelon festival that Byrd stumbled upon that features an ample supply of red wine made from watermelons. There's just one suggestion the mayor makes for this small-town festival, however: if you've been drinking too much, don't drive. Do the watermelon crawl. Not only was this song a hit for Byrd, but it started a new country line dance craze.
3. "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)," Hank Williams
In country music, it doesn't get much more classic than Hank Williams Sr., and one of the country legend's most popular songs is a fun tune called "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)." In this song, released in 1952, Williams sings of going down to the bayou to enjoy Cajun culture and foods, such as "Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and filé gumbo." "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)" was a hit for Williams, spending 14 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the country chart. The song has been covered many times since.
Read More: 20 Best Country Songs About Wine
4. "American Honey," Lady A
There's nothing like sweet American honey, and Lady A used this food item to tell a nostalgic story in their 2010 single, "American Honey." In the tune, band member Hillary Scott remembers simpler and younger days that were "innocent, pure and sweet," just like American Honey. The song's lyrics and production usher in feelings of those young, carefree days, and the tune landed at No. 1 on the country charts for the band.
5. "Do you Want Fries With That," Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw finds himself in a sour situation in his humorous 2005 single, "Do You Want Fries With That." In the song, McGraw sings from the perspective of a man working at a fast food restaurant after his wife ran off with another man and took everything he had. Now, McGraw and his wife's new man find each other face-to-face in the fast food window, and McGraw gives him a piece of his mind. "Well, you took my wife / And you took my kids / And you took that life / That I used to live," McGraw sings in the chorus. He then continues listing off the things the man stole from him before asking that age-old question: "Do you want fries with that?"
6. "Biscuits," Kacey Musgraves
Biscuits are a staple of any southern brunch, and southern girl Kacey Musgraves turned that delectable treat into a clever song in her 2015 single, "Biscuits." Released as the lead single from her Pageant Materal album, Musgraves uses "biscuits" as clever-wordplay for "business," as the song encourages people to mind their own business while adding the perfect amount of southern flair. "Just hoe your own row and raise your own babies / Smoke your own smoke and grow your own daisies / Mend your own fences and own your own crazy / Mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy," she sings.
7. "I Still Like Bologna," Alan Jackson
Similar to Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried," some may wonder why Alan Jackson would release a song called "I Still Like Bologna." Released in 2009, the song uses the image of a bologna sandwich to represent the simple things in life. Throughout the song, Jackson sings about technological advances and changes in society, but stresses that with everything that's changing in the world, he still enjoys a bologna sandwich on white bread. While bologna is certainly not the most exciting food one could include in a song, it sure gets the message across.
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