The best drinking, pub and last-call songs

The video for the versatile Foxx's 2009 hit is loaded with star cameos and remains a club favorite. It also won a Grammy and blames every type of booze around for making those bad decisions during a night out. It also has its place on the house party scene, especially when cranked loud in your parents' tiny living room so the neighbors can feel the vibration and call the cops. 

The tune is over 35 years old but a staple at bars in the Midwest, specifically the greater Milwaukee area. If you've been there, you've probably heard this Femmes classic often. At some point in their lives, middle-aged folks have shaken their heads or air drummed to this catchy number made more special by Gordon Gano's beautifully whining voice. 

The Beastie's ode to a cocktail that's part rum, vodka and orange juice was a hit in 1987 and still pops up at clubs. It's an easy song to let loose to and even better to try out the dance the Boys rap about while you're half in the bag. If you have that castle in Brooklyn, you can even pour it on your face, but we don't recommend it.

This is arguably Rihanna's greatest party song and one that tends to bring the ladies onto the dance floor at clubs, corner bars or sorority formals. In a way, it's also a celebration of girl power — the old "work hard, play hard" message while doing it responsibly. So "everybody putcha glasses up, let the Jameson sink in" and have a good time.

There are no hidden messages or innuendoes in the lyrics. The song is about what you think — heading out of a bar after last call, preferably with someone special, or available, by your side...perhaps just for the night. The song is quite schlocky but actually went to No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and earned the Minneapolis band a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song in 1999. 

Looking for the definition of a rock anthem, this is it. It was a smash for Journey in the early 1980s and has enjoyed a resurgence as a sing-along favorite over the last decade-plus. It's a jukebox staple at dive bars and neighborhood pubs while also quite popular at sporting events (thank you, Chicago White Sox). It's for every small-town girl who's living in a lonely world and looking for her city boy from South Detroit.

It's another song that's made a resurgence thanks to its use in movies ("Guardians of the Galaxy") and TV ("The Goldbergs"). It was a No. 1 hit for the British-born Holmes and made this sweet, tropical drink fashionable in the late 1970s and into the 1980s...even though it was only just a feature in his story song about a personal ad. Just be careful if you're drinking one when caught in the rain.

Is this the most popular country song of all time? There's a good chance, but its mainstream appeal can't be denied. It really does not matter which type of bar — country, honky tonk, Dave & Busters — to this day Brooks' anthem is still relevant and can get the crowd hollering the night away. 

No mainstream hip-hop, rap piece celebrates West Coast urban life better than the second cut off Snoop's debut. It's also quite humorous watching suburban kids in bars or house parties groove to a song — that offers plenty of funk under Snoop's lyrics and D-Ruff's memorable chorus — and then get sick from too much of the drink.

Talk about staying power. Expect this one to get a lot of play this weekend at bars, house parties or backyards — if the weather is warm. While the original band members were from Los Angeles, the group has always catered to Irish-American fans due to its Shamrocks and Shenanigans persona. Make sure the floors are sturdy and the ceiling is high enough when listening. Also, playing this song has become a longtime tradition at University of Wisconsin football games. 

The Boston punk outfit has enjoyed some mainstream success over the last decade, but this is a true favorite of Murphys fans and was once a staple of the group's live shows. It's the story of an alcohol-dependent blowhard looking for love who eventually comes clean with himself. It is as entertaining as it it fun to sing along with. It's possible to hear at pubs, even outside Southie, come bar time.

Whether at a bar, dance, wedding or bar mitzvah, the 1986 hit for the Jersey rockers has become a timeless classic, simply for the inviting "woah-oh." That usually makes people of all ages and generations stop what they are doing and chime in at the top of their lungs. It's even better when the bar turns the sound down, uniting all in a "woah-oh" that fills the room. Even today's underage youth has a way to relate to the song with a little help from SpongeBob SquarePants.

Is this the official theme song of the Florida Keys? According to legend, Buffett wrote it in Austin, Texas. Pretty much any bar in a warm-weather climate will play this at least once a day. It's still a favorite with the middle-aged and Baby Boomer crowd and has even led to a chain of restaurants under the same name. 

Johnny Lee Hooker's 1996 version is good, but the Delaware destroyer's take on this hard-luck, yet comical, story song is the one that has become a dive-bar staple. No matter how much life can get you down or how little money is jingling in your pocket, things seem much better when we belly up for one of each.

Tweens and millennials still can't get enough of this catchy 2009 Miley hit. Those of age, or others not but out of sight of their parents, continue to throw their hands up while trying not to spill any of their drinks. But it doesn't matter. Everybody is having a good time, and as long as you are celebrating responsibly, it's OK to get wasted on this pop anthem.

Considered by most to be Joel's signature song, it's a last-call staple that's perfect to sing along to while putting an arm around your buddy and swaying back and forth. It's also quite the experience to see it played live, with lighters — make that cell phones — out in full force while 20,000-70,000 fans sing in unison "to forget about life for a while."

The perfect tribute to house parties, tailgates and barbecues, Keith's 2011 hit has become an anthem to the weekend drinker across the country because it's totally relatable. Anybody who has taken more than a few sips of alcohol in his or her life has probably done so at some point from this bright, plastic wonder. Just make sure you put your name on it so nobody mistakes it as his or her own. 

This early Police classic is one you likely won't hear regularly at bars and has nothing to do with booze. That being said, it makes for one entertaining drinking game. Liberties can be taken with the rules, but the gist is to take a sip of your drink with your right hand every time the band says "Roxanne" or "red," and take a swig with your left every time your hear "light." If you're looking to get sauced fast, this is your game.

The boys from LMFAO and Lil Jon are literally challenging us to get drunk. More often than not, many will take them up on the offer. This club hit is usually played when it's time to turn things up a little bit and, of course, help the bar make money with a run on shots. If you are not sure which shot to order, the song is like a menu to help with the decision.

Whether it's at karaoke, last call or during the middle of the eighth inning at Fenway, there really is no better sing-a-long tune than this Neil Diamond offering...simply because it's a great song on its own. The all-together "bah, bah, bah" and added "so good, so good" is a celebration and tradition within a song that's spanned generations.

The true meaning of Lamar's conceptual gem touches on broken families, fitting in and alcoholism. However, the beat makes it a club standout, and everybody seems more than happy to "dive in" that pool of liquor. It's somewhat of a cautionary and disturbing tale, but when you're buzzed and dancing, nobody is really paying attention.

Kesha's first single in 2009, back when she was all about the $, is still a dance-club favorite, perfect for grinding while holding your drink high in the air. In fact, it seems almost pointless not to be drinking while enjoying the dance/electro-pop masterpiece that has the ability for some long-lasting staying power. 

Showing some love to the good people of St. Louis, J-Kwon is another artist inviting us all to have a good time at the club but maybe not get completely blitzed. It's easy to work with on the dance floor and has been featured in a number of films. It also translates well to the house party crowd if funds are low.

The struggling British band, at the time, didn't intend for its only mainstream hit from 1997 to be a favorite for those who fancy "a whiskey drink" or a "vodka drink." But it was gold among bros and frat boys who hopped around to it and would draw needless attention to themselves — in the U.S. It also became somewhat of a favorite of international football fans and is still good for some nostalgia while sipping a "lager drink" or a "cider drink."

"Freebird" or "Sweet Home Alabama" also work as quality late-night bar favorites, but this unheralded gem off the Skynyrd's stellar 1973 debut "Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd," has earned a bit of cult status thanks to the 1993 stoner classic "Dazed and Confused." In the movie, as the famed party at the moon tower winds down, the kegs go dry and a fight spoils the mood, "Tuesday's Gone" plays over. It's a beautiful classic rock song about moving on.