Story Behind the Song: Paul Cauthen, ‘Cocaine Country Dancing’

One of the most chaotic and turbulent tracks on a chaotic and turbulent album, "Cocaine Country Dancing" is the product of one of the most difficult times in singer Paul Cauthen's life. After ending a long-term relationship, he left his home in Wichita Falls, Texas, and spent the next two years living out of a hotel. Amidst an alcoholic, drug-fueled spree, the singer killed time by partying and dating as many girls as he could.

That difficult chapter of Cauthen's life ultimately helped produce his 2019 album Room 41, including a selection of songs inspired by the turmoil he faced. Read on to learn the story behind one of those songs, told by the artist himself.

Yeah, it was super manic. I had the hook of the song up in Wichita Falls, at this old warehouse, with this old weed dealer that I used to go and buy weed from. [There was] an old drum set, a mini keyboard and a loop station, and all this stuff. I was messing with it one day after I bought some weed from him.

I started this [line] that went like, "Cocaine country dancin' with you. Cocaine ..." just singing that over and over. I was like, "Damn! That's got something." I sent it over to [co-writer] Jason [Burt], and we sat on that song for a long f--kin' time.

Then, when I was about to start making a record, and going through [all the material I had written for the new album], Jason was like, "Dude, I went back and I had this idea." It was like, "It's a quarter to one, just looking for fun / It's a quarter to two, what we gonna do / It's a quarter to ..." I was like, "Man, I really think we can nail this song." So we started just finishing it.

And in the middle of all that, also, I was in a frenzy. Just acting out, being an ass. All with a good spirit -- never being ill-willed to anybody or hurting anybody ... I was just trying to get through it, and honestly, I was reaching for a bigger sound the whole time.