Gambling is meant to be fun. It’s supposed to be a hobby that you enjoy every once in a while and don’t take too seriously. The next time you’re gearing up for another session, whether you’re heading out to your local casino or visiting some online gambling sites, why not get yourself in the mood by listening to some casino-themed songs?
There are lots of songs by big-name artists that talk about things like Vegas, luck and gambling in general. In this article, we’ve rounded up six for you to enjoy. Have a read to learn a little bit more about each of these songs, then be sure to listen to them. The songs come in a number of different genres, but what they all have in common, besides refer-encing gambling, is that they’re great pieces of music to enjoy.
‘Waking Up In Vegas’
People first heard ‘Waking Up In Vegas’ in 2008 when its parent album One of the Boys by Katy Perry was released. The song wasn’t officially released as a single until the follow-ing year. It’s a pop-rock piece all about a young couple going on a wild night out in Vegas, hitting the casinos and living it up large.
The song’s video, of course, was filmed in Las Vegas itself. Throughout the clip, Katy and her boyfriend can be seen playing various casino games, including roulette and slots, and being welcomed into the Palms Hotel. The video perfectly captures the antics you can end up getting caught up in on a night out in Vegas.
‘Viva Las Vegas’
While ‘Waking Up In Vegas’ pays tribute to Vegas, the song ‘Viva Las Vegas’ by Elvis Presley is no doubt the more popular and more celebrated of the two. Released in 1964 for his film Viva Las Vegas, the song’s been covered by many artists and has been used in countless TV shows and films.
Despite the song being released some 13 years before Elvis’ untimely death, he never actually performed the song live. However, this didn’t stop the song becoming one of his biggest and most successful releases. In the movie Viva Las Vegas, Elvis plays a race car driver who’s working at a hotel as a waiter to pay off a debt; he decides to enter a talent competition and performs ‘Viva Las Vegas’. Of the 31 films Elvis starred in, Viva Las Ve-gas was one of the most critically and commercially successful.
‘Luck Be A Lady’
This a song that, like many others, has been covered by a number of prominent artists over the years. The best-known version is Frank Sinatra’s cover, which came out in 1964. The original version, however, was actually released back in 1950.
The song featured in the 1955 film adaptation of the stage show Guys and Dolls. Its lyrics are sung from the perspective of a gambler who’s hoping to win a bet. If he gets some luck on his side and is able to win the bet, his relationship should be saved.
‘Deuces Are Wild’
In some poker and video poker games, deuces (twos) are wild and can substitute for oth-er cards to help you win. The song ‘Deuces Are Wild’ by Aerosmith is a hard rock song released in 1994. Its hard-hitting lyrics and electric rock music make the song a great fit for a night of gambling.
In 2019, Aerosmith began their first ever concert residency. It was meant to consist of 18 shows in Vegas at the Park Theater and was named ‘Deuces Are Wild’ as a reference to both the song of the same name and the residency’s Vegas setting. Due to the high de-mand for tickets, the band ended up adding extra dates along the East Coast and did dozens more shows in Vegas.
‘The Gambler’
Released in 1978, ‘The Gambler’ is a country song written by Don Schlitz and performed by a number of different artists. Don composed the song in 1976 and over the course of two years, he shopped it round to various country artists. A few versions were released, but the one that took off and became the biggest hit was Kenny Rogers’ take.
‘The Gambler’ is about a man who’s down on his luck in life and meets a gambler on a late-night train. The gambler, in exchange for some whisky, offers the man some advice, using gambling-related terms. He then passes away in his sleep, dying the way he wanted to.
‘Poker Face’
‘Poker Face’ was released in 2008 as the second single from Lady Gaga’s debut album The Fame. The dance-pop song is one of the world’s top-selling singles, with over 14 mil-lion copies sold around the world. It’s also one of Gaga’s most recognisable hits – she’s performed it hundreds of times throughout her career, most notably at the Super Bowl LI in 2017.
The song isn’t strictly about gambling: the term ‘poker face’ means not giving anything away through facial expressions. As Gaga has explained herself, the song is more about sex and keeping your true feelings from your partner. Nonetheless, the song’s video fea-tures Gaga and dancers at a lavish mansion throwing a party and engaging in a strip pok-er game.
Conclusion
Of course, the casino theme will always be relevant and more and more new songs will appear in the music world. if you like the casino topic and our blog’s content, you can also view our article dedicated to popular movies with casino themes. Enjoy reading