Top 15 Historic Cannabis Songs
Weed Wissen
Cannabis has been a recurring theme in popular music since the 1960s. Some tracks are open declarations, while others use metaphors or cultural images that were quickly linked to the subject in the collective memory. This list leans more toward the historical development and features classic references from folk, rock, reggae, funk, hip-hop and folk revival.
For each song you'll find a short explanation of why it counts as a cannabis song, plus a compact info table with the year, record label and the relevant LP/CD. The year and label details refer to the original release or the best-known edition.
Bob Dylan: “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”
Why it's a cannabis song: The chorus “Everybody must get stoned” makes the association with getting high clear. Lyrics and title play on the word “stoned”, understood as a synonym for getting intoxicated, often through cannabis.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Columbia Records | Blonde on Blonde (album) |
Black Sabbath: “Sweet Leaf”
Why it's a cannabis song: Title and lyrics read as a direct ode to the “Sweet Leaf”. The song opens with coughing as a sound effect and deals with the intoxicating effect of the leaf, understood as marijuana.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Vertigo Records (UK) / Warner Bros. (US) | Master of Reality (album) |
Neil Young: “Homegrown”
Why it's a cannabis song: The title “Homegrown” and the imagery invite the reading that it's about something “grown at home”. In pop culture the word is often linked to the private cultivation of cannabis, and the album material was created at a time when this meaning was common.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| Recorded 1974-1975, official release 2020 | Reprise Records | Homegrown (album, official release 2020) |
Peter Tosh: “Legalize It”
Why it's a cannabis song: An unmistakable call to legalize marijuana. Lyrics and title are a political statement in favour of the legal handling of cannabis.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | EMI / various editions depending on market | Legalize It (album) |
Bob Marley & The Wailers: “Kaya”
Why it's a cannabis song: “Kaya” is a well-known slang term for ganja. In this song Marley connects relaxation, spirituality and community with the term, so the title reads immediately as a cannabis reference.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Island Records | Kaya (album) |
Rick James: “Mary Jane”
Why it's a cannabis song: The song personifies marijuana as “Mary Jane”. The metaphor of a love interest makes the reference clear and runs through the entire lyric.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Gordy / Motown | Come Get It! (album) |
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Musical Youth: “Pass The Dutchie”
Why it's a cannabis song: Although the Musical Youth version was toned down in its wording, the tradition traces back to songs describing the passing of a smoking utensil. In popular interpretation, “Pass The Dutchie” is closely tied to the image of passing something around, that is, communal smoking.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | MCA Records | The Youth of Today (album) |
The Toyes / Sublime: “Smoke Two Joints”
Why it's a cannabis song: The chorus “I smoke two joints in the morning...” names the smoking of joints explicitly. The Sublime version popularized the hook even more strongly in the 1990s.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| Original The Toyes: approx. 1983 (single), Sublime cover: 1992 | The Toyes: independent / local labels; Sublime: Skunk Records / later MCA | Sublime: 40oz. to Freedom (album, 1992) |
Cypress Hill: “Hits From The Bong”
Why it's a cannabis song: Title, hook and lyrics revolve explicitly around smoking from the bong. The song touches on techniques, rituals and the social side of consumption.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Ruffhouse / Columbia | Black Sunday (album) |
Snoop Dogg: “Gin And Juice”
Why it's a cannabis song: Several lines directly reference “smokin' indo” and similar imagery, and cannabis is part of the party reality the song describes.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Death Row / Interscope | Doggystyle (album) |
Luniz: “I Got 5 On It”
Why it's a cannabis song: The phrase “I got five on it” describes pooling money together to buy weed. The song is about sharing and consuming cannabis in everyday urban life.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | C-Note Records / Noo Trybe | Operation Stackola (album) |
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg: “The Next Episode”
Why it's a cannabis song: The hook “smoke weed everyday” became a pop-culture formula. The song celebrates smoking as part of a West Coast aesthetic and turns it into a recurring motif.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Aftermath / Interscope | 2001 (album) |
Afroman: “Because I Got High”
Why it's a cannabis song: The song is an ironic, continuous narrative about the consequences of getting high, with the chorus “Because I got high” as its central reference point.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| Single: 2000, larger major release: 2001 | Originally independent, later Universal distribution | The Good Times (album, 2001) |
Wiz Khalifa & Snoop Dogg & Bruno Mars: “Young, Wild & Free”
Why it's a cannabis song: The chorus “We don't care, we smoke weed” makes cannabis an explicit element of the carefree lifestyle the song celebrates.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Atlantic Records / Rostrum | Mac & Devin Go to High School (soundtrack) / single |
Traditional / Yonder Mountain String Band: “Two hits and the joints turned brown” (version)
Why it's a cannabis song: The recurring line “two hits and the joints turned brown” literally describes the heat, resin and soot becoming visible after just two draws. In the Yonder Mountain String Band interpretation the line serves as a comic refrain that caricatures everyday scenes of smoking, such as “Now you're tryin' to light your roach while you're drivin' down the street”.
| Year | Record label | LP / CD |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional / various live versions; YMSB versions: 2000s (live) | Frog Pad Records / various live labels | Live recordings / set recordings (varies by release) |
