Almost One-Fourth of Top Music Hits Mention Alcohol

Almost one-fourth of Billboard Magazine’s most popular songs from 2009 to 2011 mentioned alcohol, a new study finds. Of the 167 songs, 46 referenced a specific brand, such as Patron, Hennessy, Grey Goose and Jack Daniel’s.

Nearly 38 percent of rap, hip-hop and R&B songs mentioned alcohol, compared with 21.8 percent of country songs and 14.9 percent of pop songs, according to Time.com. Tequila, vodka, champagne and cognac were most frequently mentioned in hip-hop, rap and R&B, while whiskey and beer were more often referenced in country and pop songs. Alcohol was not mentioned in top rock hits, the study found.

“Given the heavy exposure of youth to popular music, these results suggest popular music may serve as a major source of promotion of alcohol use among youth,” study co-author David Jernigan, PhD, Director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Johns Hopkins, said in a news release.

The findings appear in the journal Substance Use & Misuse.