Latin Funk

The song is credited to War members Papa Dee Allen, Harold Brown, B.B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar and Howard Scott. It was released as a single in 1970, backed with “Magic Mountain” and became War’s first charting hit (an international hit, at that), going to #3 in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. It went to #5 in Mexico, #15 in The Netherlands, and #28 in Germany. The song was also released on War’s 1970 album Eric Burden Declares “War.”

There have been numerous covers of “Spill the Wine.” Artists with versions include The Isley Brothers, 2nu, Lighter Shade of Brown, Michael Hutchence, The B-Side Players,  Los Mocosos, Vinyl, LA. Carpool, and Widespread Panic.

The War band formed in Long Beach, California in 1969, and fused the sounds of rock, funk, jazz, Latin music, R&B, and reggae. Other hits include “The Cisco Kid, “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”, “Low Rider,” and “The World is a Ghetto,” to mention a few. For “Spill the Wine,” the lineup was Eric Burdon (lead vocals), Lee Oskar (Harmonica), Charles Miller (tenor sax, flute), Howard Scott (guitar, backing vocals), Lonnie Jordan (organ, piano), Bee Bee Dickerson (bass, backing vocals), Harold Brown (drums), and De Allen (conga, percussion). The membership has changed over the years, of course, but they continue to tour and perform.

Here are the lyrics to “Spill the Wine” by Eric Burdon and War:

I was once out strolling one very hot summer’s day
When I thought I’d lay myself down to rest
In a big field of tall grass
I laid there in the sun and felt it caressing my face
As I fell asleep and dreamed
I dreamed I was in a Hollywood movie
And that I was the star of the movie
This really blew my mind
The fact that me an overfed long haired leaping gnome
Should be the star of a Hollywood movie, hmmm
There I was, hmmm
I was taken to a place
The hall of the mountain kings
I stood high up on a mountain top
Naked to the world
In front of
Every kind of girl
There was long ones, tall ones, short ones, brown ones,
Black ones, round ones, big ones, crazy ones
Out of the middle, came a lady
She whispered in my ear
Something crazy
She said,

Spill the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl

I thought to myself, what could that mean
Am I going crazy, or is this just a dream
Now wait a minute
I know I’m lying in a field of grass somewhere
So it’s all in my head
And then I heard her say one more time

Spill the wine dig that girl
Spill the wine dig that girl
Spill the wine dig that girl
Spill the wine dig that girl

I could feel hot flames of fire roaring at my back
As she disappeared, but soon she returned
In her hand was a bottle of wine
In the other a glass
She poured some of the wine from the bottle into the glass
And raised it to her lips
And just before she drank it, she said

Take the wine, dig that girl
Spill the wine, dig that girl
Spill the wine, dig that girl
Spill the wine, dig that girl
Take that girl, yeah!
It’s on girl, all you gotta do is spill that wine
Spill that wine, let me feel, let me feel hot, yeah! yeah!
Spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine,
Spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine,
Dig that girl!

For another song by War: “The Cisco Kid.”

For More 70s Tunes

The System has daily featured music from all sorts of genres of 1970s music. You’re welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections in The System. Thank you for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed “Spill the Wine” by Eric Burdon and War.