For those wondering what in the world does “C.C. Waterback” mean, it simply refers to Canadian Club Whiskey. With that said, the song is a drinking tune. Merle Haggard wrote it and co-recorded with fellow country music icon George Jones. The record appeared on their duet album A Taste of Yesterday’s Wine that was out in 1982. The same album spawned their hit duet records “Yesterday’s Wine” and “Must’ve Been Drunk.”
Released as the second single from the said album, the song earned the 10th spot on the country songs chart. “C.C. Waterback” recalls the story of a wild party and a hangover that followed. Accordingly, the narrator attended the party that was held at “the Jones’ place.” Now, the singer supposed that he drank, a case which caused him an extreme headache. At a certain point, the narrator cries that his lady partner at the party “wound up in Jones’ bed and I wound up on the floor.”
The Wild Introduction of “C.C. Waterback”
By all accounts, Merle Haggard introduced the song “C.C. Waterback” during a Fort Worth show at Billy Bob’s Texas. The said event has been dubbed as “the largest honky-tonk in the world.” Accordingly, Haggard, who was 45 at that time, began pulling out a quart of Canadian Club (a C.C. Water-back is C.C. with a water chaser). What happens next was the singer passing the alcoholic beverage around to the members of the band. He never even minded just how many people there were in the house. After pulling the stopper, Haggard announced,
“I want to buy everyone here a C.C. Waterback.”
Shortly, the house was filled with roaring cheers from the crowd. When silence finally sets in, the singer had stood for 5,095 one-ounce drinks totaling 40 gallons and amounting to $12,737.50. Certainly, his generosity would earn him a title in the Guinness Book of World Records as the purchaser of the biggest round ever.
Listen to Haggard and Jones’ Top 10 hit “C.C. Waterback” below.
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C.C. Waterback, George Jones, merle haggard