Red Solo Cup

This article is about the song. For the cup, see Solo Cup Company.
"Red Solo Cup"
Single by Toby Keith
from the album Clancy's Tavern
ReleasedOctober 10, 2011
RecordedJune 2011
Genre
Length3:43
LabelShow Dog-Universal
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Toby Keith
Toby Keith singles chronology
"Made in America"
(2011) 		"Red Solo Cup"
(2011) 		"Beers Ago"
(2012)

"Red Solo Cup" is a song written by Brett Warren, Brad Warren, Brett Beavers, and Jim Beavers and recorded by American country music singer Toby Keith. The song was released on October 10, 2011[1] as the second single from Keith's 2011 album Clancy's Tavern.[2][3] This is the only song on the album that Keith did not write or co-write. The song was featured in the Glee episode "Hold On to Sixteen". Insider ranked it as the second worst song of the 2010s decade[4] and Keith himself called it "the stupidest song [he] ever heard in [his] life." A remixed version by Johnny Mac appears on the deluxe edition of Keith's sixteenth studio album Hope on the Rocks, released the following year. It was Keith's biggest and final crossover hit before his death in 2024.

Content

"Red Solo Cup" is about the Solo Cup Company's red style of plastic cups, and their common usage at parties, among other occasions.[5] It is in the key of A major, with a primary chord pattern of A–Bm7–E–A on the verses, which are spoken-word. The final chorus modulates a whole step upward to B major.[6]

History

Singer-songwriter duo The Warren Brothers (Brad and Brett Warren) co-wrote "Red Solo Cup" with Brett Beavers and his brother, Jim Beavers. The four of them decided to write something that would "make us all laugh and smile." According to Brett Warren, Jim did the majority of the writing.[7] Keith told CMT that it was "the stupidest song that I have ever heard in my life" but also "freakin' awesome."[2]

All four writers sing backing vocals on the song. The Warren Brothers also perform acoustic guitar on it, while Jim plays bass guitar and Brett plays six-string banjo.[8]

Music video

The music video includes cameos from Jeff Dunham (and his character Bubba J), Carrot Top, Ted Nugent, Sammy Hagar, Craig Ferguson, Geoff Peterson, Roger Clemens, Eric Church, Joe Nichols, Lance Burton, and Larry Bird among others.[9]

It had acquired more than 600,000 views on YouTube before the album's release.[10] The video surpassed 69 million views as of February 2023.[11]

Chart performance

Chart (2011–2012) Peak
position
Canada Country (Billboard)[12] 8
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] 27
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 15

Year-end charts

Chart (2012) Position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[16] 89
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 82
US Country Songs (Billboard)[18] 53

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[19] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other versions and parodies

  • German singer and entertainer Stefan Raab made up his own version of the song and changed the location of the song and its lyrics to a pub in Cologne. The whole song is sung in the typical dialect of Cologne.[20]
  • American parody artist Cledus T. Judd released a parody of "Red Solo Cup" titled "Double D Cups" on his 2012 album Parodyziac!!.
  • Cirque du Soleil paid tribute to the late Toby Keith by including the song in their touring production "Songblazers".

References

  1. ^ Holz, Adam R. ""Red Solo Cup" Track Review". Focus on the Family's Plugged-in. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Toby Keith Raises His "Red Solo Cup"". CMT News. 2011-10-25. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  3. ^ "OFFSTAGE: Toby Keith Will Help Glee Proceed to Party". CMT News. 2011-10-28. Archived from the original on October 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  4. ^ "The 8 best and 8 worst songs of the decade". Insider Inc. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "Toby Keith's 'Red Solo Cup' song - stupid or awesome?". USA Today. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  6. ^ "Red Solo Cup sheet music". MusicNotes.com. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  7. ^ Conaway, Alanna (27 October 2011). "Toby Keith, 'Red Solo Cup' — Lyrics Uncovered". Taste of Country. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  8. ^ Clancy's Tavern (CD booklet). Toby Keith. Show Dog-Universal Music. 2011. 15592.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Schmitt, Brad (14 October 2011). "Toby Releases Star-Studded "Stupid," "Perfect" Song". Country Weekly. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  10. ^ Writer, SLN Staff (October 19, 2011). "TOBY KEITH'S 'RED SOLO CUP' GOES VIRAL WITH 600,000+ VIEWS". soundslikenashville.com. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "Toby Keith - Red Solo Cup (Unedited Version)". Universal Music. 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  12. ^ "Toby Keith Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  13. ^ "Toby Keith Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  14. ^ "Toby Keith Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  15. ^ "Toby Keith Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  16. ^ "Best of 2012: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  17. ^ "Best of 2012 - Hot 100 Songs". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  18. ^ "Best of 2012: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  19. ^ "American single certifications – Toby Keith – Red Solo Cup". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  20. ^ fritz51182 (2012-09-09), Stefan Raab & Höhner - Mir wulle fiere (Schenk noch jet en) 2012, retrieved 2016-05-20{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)