The reason for making songs about gambling will never stop. People have never given up on the concept of taking chances and gambling.
Check out the following music titles, and you might be surprised to find the true story behind some of your favourite songs.
TOP 10 Songs About Gambling
Love Is a Losing Game – Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse’s song “Love is a Losing Game “is an ultimate reflection of her emotional state and difficult moments at that time. The song came after she was left by her longtime boyfriend, making her feel miserable.
She was emotionally fragile, and writing this song helped her express her feelings, comparing the uncertainty of love as a gambling game while giving the world a great piece of art and a mega-hit.
Amy’s emotions were played by someone she trusted; she gave everything she had but lost everything instead.
Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley
It’s a song about a man having the time of his life in Sin City, impressed by the bright lights and the excitement of betting. The lyrics include references to roulette, neon, hot dice, gorgeous women, blackjack, one-armed bandits (slot machines), and dazzling lights. Moreover, the emphasis is on the last line, which offers consolation to the many who lose to the house.
“Viva Las Vegas” was recorded on 10 July 1964, written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman for Elvis Presley’s movie, which was a music movie and not a movie about gambling. So, it became a big hit, reaching number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart.
The Jack – AC/DC
The” Jack” is Australian slang for Gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease, so the song’s title doesn’t have a connection to gambling, even though most of the audience think this is a gambling song. Instead, they just used this particular slang motivated by a real-life event.
The band members were inspired by a venereal illness when they all became infected at the same time by the same group of girls. It was a rough time to be living in the 1980s.
The track was a massive success and was part of their second album, T.N.T., in 1975.
Atlantic City – Bruce Springsteen
The song first appeared on the album” Nebraska” in 1982. It tells a story about Atlantic City, an impoverished town in New Jersey that built casinos to improve the local economy. But, on the other hand, it made a more significant contrast between the rich part of the city and the dark, poor side of New Jersey.
As a result, the track is about a young couple trying to have a better life in Atlantic City until the man in the relationship is entering into illegal business, gambling with his life for a better future.
Shape of My Heart – Sting
“Shape of my heart”, sung by the former frontman of The Police, has a specific meaning. So, the character in the song is not a gambler. Instead, it is a player who joins the game with a reason to understand the mystery of luck and fate. Thus, Sting explained that the gambler is some philosopher looking for mystical logic in luck.
The song was released in August 1993 in the “Ten Summoner’s Tales” album. Since then, “Shape of my Heart” has been a classic piece of art and an all-time favourite to many generations.
Rambling, Gambling Willie – Bob Dylan
“Rambling, Gambling Willie” is about a fictional character, Will O’Conley, a famous gambler in American history. He had 27 kids and didn’t have a woman next to him. Absurd, but typical for that period in music, to exaggerate to express certain emotions.
Furthermore, the song’s concept serves as a moral lesson to all gamblers, encouraging them to gain money while they can before quitting.
Bob Dylan wrote “Rambling, Gambling Willie” in 1961, recorded it in 1962 and released it in 1991, making it one of Bob’s oldest songs ever.
The Winner Takes It All – ABBA
Believe it or not, this song was written by a member of the group, Bjorn Ulvaeus, right after he divorced the singer of the band, Agnetha Fältskog.
After their divorce, he put his emotions on paper. He wrote the famous song “The winner takes it all”, an analogy of what is usually happening when a couple is separating, meaning there is never a win-win situation.
He was the one who didn’t want to divorce, so he lost in the game called love.
“The winner takes it all”, a two-week number 1 hit in the U.K., was released on 21 July 1980.
Gambler’s Blues – B.B. King
“Gambler’s Blues” is a famous blues song about love and losing a loved one. The woman who left him without notice has gambled with his heart. And he felt empty like a loser after a game.
It is reflected through the lyrics comparing love as a game.
This song is an old American classic sung by many famous musicians, but B.B. King’s performance was one of the most memorable interpretations.
Ace of Spades – Motorhead
The anthem of Motorhead and an 80’s hit, “Ace of Spades”, one of the best poker songs, was inspired by the frontman’s love towards slot machines in London. While listening to the song, you can hear “double up or quit, double stake or split”, referring to blackjack and poker.
The song was issued as a 7″ vinyl single in 1980, as a preview of their album “Ace of Spades”. Furthermore, it was nominated for best poker related song in 2015. Despite being up against another great candidate, Lady Gaga and her song “Poker Face”, the band won the award.
Kenny Rogers – The Gambler
“The Gambler,” written by Don Schlitz, is best known for its performance by country artist Kenny Rogers and is still one of the best country songs about gambling. The title track explains the probabilities of life.
Hence, the song is about a gambler sharing his wisdom to a random passenger in a train, explaining the thin line between real life and life in a casino-you have to know what to throw away and what to keep to survive.
If You Get To Write a Song About Your Life, How Would You Name It?
These songs about gambling prove that everyone has been in a position to take a chance, play against the odds, and gamble.
Follow the advice of these wise musicians and be careful. Life is a tricky game, and it’s hard to win but easy to lose.