Anytime the 1983 reggae-pop hit “Red Red Wine” by UB40 makes it onto your going playlist, odds are you have one of two things on your mind—either it’s TGIF and time for a little Friday night tipsy time, or you’re playing that one terrible breakup story over and over in your head again (and you want it to stop!).
With lyrics like, “Red, red wine / Go to my head / Make me forget that I / Still need her so,” it’s no surprise that UB40’s “Red Red Wine” remains an anthem for the heartbroken, or more specifically, an anthem for drowning out the heartbreak. However, with its punchy, rhythmic beat, “Red Red Wine” certainly doesn’t have to be a downer track. In fact, the song made Billboard’s list of “40 Biggest Drinking Songs” so it clearly has a laid-back celebratory vibe too.
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“Red Red Wine,” which is featured on the 1983 UB40 Labour of Love album, is actually a cover of a 1967 Neil Diamond song. Diamond’s folksy ballad-like version wasn’t a chart crusher in its day, peaking at No. 67 on the Billboard 100 list in April 1968.
The UB40 version, on the other hand, became a massive international hit, topping the UK Singles Chart in 1983. And finally in 1988, “Red Red Wine” hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 after UB40 performed the song at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert in June 1988. The concert held at Wembley Stadium in London included a stellar lineup of performers, including George Michael, Whitney Houston, Tracy Chapman, Chrissie Hynde, Dire Straits, and the Bee Gees, among others.
Watch the official UB40 “Red Red Wine” music video, in which lead singer Ali Campbell strangely drowns his sorrows in several beers, and not red, red wine after all.
Curious about Neil Diamond’s version of “Red Red Wine”? Have a listen:
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