There are countless songs about drinking and they express a vast number of moods. John Barleycorn claims that whisky “will make a man forget his woe”. Nancy Whisky counters that it “will prove your ruin”. UB40‘s Red Red Wine “makes me feel so fine” and “makes me feel bad”. Eric Clapton’s Bottle of Red Wine will, he hopes, cure “this crazy feeling in my head.” With key stage 3 groups, play a number of drinking songs - including contrasting pairs - and ask pupils to rank them according to whether they sound a) convivial b) convincing. Could words and tunes be interchanged? Try singing one song lyric to the tune of another. Is the result convivial or convincing?