Study identifies top four spirits mentioned in music

A new study in the US has identified the spirits brands most commonly mentioned in popular music.

Patrón, Hennessy, Grey Goose and Jack Daniel’s have been identified as the top four mentioned brands in the Billboard charts

Researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health and the Centre on Alcohol Advertising and Youth (CAMY) found that Patrón Tequila, Hennessy Cognac, Grey Goose vodka and Jack Daniel’s whiskey accounted for more than half of alcohol labels mentioned in songs in Billboard’s ‘most popular songs’ lists for 2009, 2010 and 2011.

A total of 720 songs were examined, 167 of which mentioned alcohol and 46 mentioned specific alcohol brands. Urban music including rap, hip-hop and R&B was found to be the genre which most commonly referenced alcohol, followed by country and pop.

The study was the first to examine the topic of alcohol mentions in popular music in depth, finding that consumption of these brands was largely portrayed as positive. It has also recently been found that American adolescents listen to approximately 2.5 hours of music a day, prompting public health professionals to call for further monitoring of the issue.

“A small number of alcohol brands and beverages appear to make frequent appearances in popular music,” said Michael Siegel, professor of Community Health Sciences at the Boston School of Public Health. “If these exposures are found to influence youth drinking behaviour, then further public health efforts must be focused on youth exposure to alcohol portrayals in music.”

While David Jernigan, director of CAMY, adds: “Given the heavy exposure of youth to popular music, these results suggest popular music may serve as a major source of promotion of alcohol use among youth. The findings lay a strong foundation for further research.”

The research was supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The Spirits Business recently expanded this list and looked at the top ten spirits plugs in pop music.

Click through the following pages to see which songs mention the top four brands.

Patrón Tequila

The high end premium Tequila is produced by the Patrón Spirits Company and includes the expressions: Gran Patrón Burdeos, Gran Patrón Platinum, Gran Patrón Piedra, Patrón Silver, Patrón Añejo, and Patrón Reposado. Artists who have alluded to the spirit in their songs include T.I (Whatever You Like), Ludacris (Girls Gone Wild), Young Jeezy (Tear It Up) and Lil Wayne (Back On My Grizzy).

Hennessy Cognac

Hennessy is a high-end brand of Cognac whose popularity among the younger generation has increased over recent years with numerous references in hip-hop songs. Rap stars who have referenced the Cognac include Notorious B.I.G (Nasty Girl), 50 Cent (Disco Inferno), Nas (The Genesis) and Eminem (Shake That).

Grey Goose vodka

Grey Goose vodka is a Bacardi-owned premium brand produced in France. Hip-hop artists who have referred to the vodka in their songs include Lil Wayne (Another Planet), Young Jeezy (Grey Goose), Beenie Man (Dude) and the Ying Yang Twins (Grey Goose).

Jack Daniel’s whiskey

Jack Daniel’s, owned by Brown-Forman, is the highest-selling American whiskey in the world and is produced in Tennessee. Appealing more to  pop and country artists, the spirit has been referenced by pop star Ke$a (Tik Tok), country singer Eric Church (Jack Daniel’s) and Irish pop band The Script (For the First Time).