View source for Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)

{{short description|1947 song by Merle Travis and Tex Williams}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
| cover      = Smoke!_Smoke!_Smoke!_(That_Cigarette)_-_Tex_Williams.jpg
| alt        =
| published  = {{Start date|1947|6|27}} by American Music, Inc., Hollywood<ref>{{Cite book |last=Library of Congress. Copyright Office. |url=http://archive.org/details/catalogofcopyrig315lib |title=Catalog of Copyright Entries 1947 Published Music Jan-Dec 3D Ser Vol 1 Pt 5A |date=1947 |publisher=U.S. Govt. Print. Off. |others=United States Copyright Office |language=English}}</ref>
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Tex Williams|Tex Williams and His Western Caravan]]
| album      =
| EP         =
| B-side     = Roundup Polka
| released   = {{start date|1947|5}}
| recorded   = {{Start date|1947|3|27}}<ref name=CapitolAmericana>{{Cite web |title=78rpm Numerical Listing Discography for Capitol 40000: Americana |url=https://www.78discography.com/Capitol40000.htm |access-date=2022-05-23 |website=www.78discography.com}}</ref>
| studio     = [[Radio Recorders]], Los Angeles
| venue      =
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Western swing]]|[[novelty song|novelty]]}}
| length     = {{Duration|m=2|s=56}}
| label      = [[Capitol Records|Capitol Americana 40001]]<ref name=CapitolAmericana/>
| writer     = [[Merle Travis]] and [[Tex Williams]]
| composer   =
| lyricist   =
| producer   = [[Lee Gillette]]
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
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}}
"'''Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)'''" is a [[Western swing]] [[novelty song]] written by [[Merle Travis]] and [[Tex Williams]],<ref>[http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&keyID=1360454&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID BMI Copyright and Registration Info]</ref> for Williams and his [[talking blues]] style of singing. Travis wrote the bulk of the song.<ref>[http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/williams_tex/bio.jhtml CMT bio of Tex Williams]</ref>  The original Williams version went to number one for 16 non-consecutive weeks on the [[Hot Country Songs]] chart and became a [[Number-one hits of 1947 (USA)|#1 hit in August 1947]]
and remained at the top of the "Best Sellers in Stores" chart for six weeks.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=391}}</ref> It was written in 1947<ref name=pc17/> and recorded on March 27, 1947, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood.<ref name=CapitolAmericana/>

==Synopsis==
The song is written in the [[talking blues]] style.  Its narrator expresses disdain for the inventor of the cigarette, not so much for its health concerns (as he says he is a smoker himself and it hasn't killed him yet) but because of its addictive effect on "nicotine slaves". He goes on to describe two situations, a tense poker game and a date with a beautiful woman; both are interrupted because of one of them has a nicotine craving and needs a cigarette. Williams sarcastically quips that when the smoker eventually dies from the effects of the addiction, they will tell [[Saint Peter]] that they need one more smoke before going through the golden gate.<ref name=pc17>{{Gilliland | url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633233/m1/#track/6 |title = Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #17 |year=197X}}</ref>

==Personnel==
"Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" was produced by [[Lee Gillette]], and featured Johnny Weis, electric lead guitar; [[Smokey Rogers|Eugene "Smokey" Rogers]], acoustic rhythm guitar, harmony vocal; [[Joaquin Murphey|Earl "Joaquin" Murphey]], steel guitar; Manny Klein, trumpet; Paul "Spike" Featherstone, harp; Andrew "Cactus" Soldi, Harry Sims, Rex Call, fiddles; Ossie Godson, piano; Deuce Spriggens, bass fiddle, harmony vocal; Milton "Muddy" Berry, drums; and Larry "Pedro" DePaul, accordion.

==Cover versions ==
A [[cover version]] performed by [[Phil Harris]] stayed on the charts for 4 weeks, reaching #8 on the "Best Sellers in Stores" chart. Williams made a stereophonic re-recording of the song for [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] in 1960 on the [[album]], ''Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!''.<ref>Music: Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! by Tex Williams. Rhapsody Online</ref> It has also been covered by [[Johnny Bond|Johnny Bond & His Red River Valley Boys]] in 1947, and by [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], who hit # 89 on the Country Charts in 1982,<ref>Whitburn, Joel,  The Billboard Book of Top Country Songs: 1944-2005, VNU Business Media, 2005 p. 108</ref> [[Willie Nelson]], [[Dennis Weaver]], [[Michael Nesmith]], [[Hank Thompson (musician)|Hank Thompson]], [[Jimmy Dean]], [[Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen|Commander Cody]] ([[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] #94 in 1973), [[Asleep at the Wheel]], [[Doc Watson]] and others.<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=mt0005919301|tab=also-performed-by|pure_url=yes}}|title=Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)|author= |publisher=[[Allmusic]] |accessdate=2012-03-25}}</ref>  [[Thom Bresh]], the son of the song's writer Merle Travis, hit #78 on the Country Charts with the song in 1978.<ref>Whitburn, Joel,  The Billboard Book of Top Country Songs: 1944-2005, VNU Business Media, 2005 p. 55</ref>
In France, [[Eddy Mitchell]] also recorded a French version of the song, on his album [[Rocking in Nashville]] (1974) : [[Fume cette cigarette]].
Finnish band Hullujussi covered the song in 1975, "Polta tupakkaa!"

==In popular culture==
This song is used as the title song of the 2005 movie ''[[Thank You for Smoking]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thank You for Smoking |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl578061825/ |access-date=2022-05-23 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>

This song is featured in the second episode of the first season of [[My Name Is Earl|My Name is Earl]], "Quitting Smoking."<ref>{{Citation |title="My Name Is Earl" Quit Smoking (TV Episode 2005) - IMDb |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0654812/soundtrack/ |access-date=2022-11-12}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:Western swing songs]]
[[Category:Novelty songs]]
[[Category:Tex Williams songs]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles of the year]]
[[Category:Thom Bresh songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Merle Travis]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in the United States]]
[[Category:1947 songs]]
[[Category:1947 singles]]
[[Category:1973 singles]]
[[Category:Songs about tobacco]]
[[Category:Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen songs]]