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"One Toke Over the Line" is a song written and performed by American folk rock duo Brewer & Shipley. It is a track from their 1970 LP Tarkio, and was released as their debut single in early 1971.

"One Toke Over the Line"
Single by Brewer & Shipley
from the album Tarkio
B-side	"Oh Mommy"
Released	March 1971 (U.S.)
Genre	Country rock, folk rock
Length	3:16
Label	Kama Sutra Records
Songwriter(s)	Mike Brewer, Tom Shipley
Producer(s)	Nick Gravenites
Brewer & Shipley singles chronology
"One Toke Over the Line" (1971) "Tarkio Road" (1971)

Background

Mike Brewer gives this account of the origin of the song, "One day we were pretty much stoned and all and Tom says, “Man, I’m one toke over the line tonight.” I liked the way that sounded, and so I wrote a song around it."[1]

The song gained popular acclaim while the band was touring as an opening act for Melanie, after they received an encore but had run out of other songs to play.[2]

This song was banned in several areas, especially in the Deep South, the Bible Belt, and the rural areas in the Midwest, due to the Biblical references to Jesus and Mary.

The song is also noted for its overlapping pre-recorded vocals in the final refrains.^{[by whom?]}

The line, "Sitting downtown in a railway station, one toke over the line," became the main catchphrase of the song, including its final hook line, "One toke, one toke over the line".

Chart history

The song peaked at #10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #8 Cash Box[3] during the spring of 1971, and was the duo's only Top 40 hit. It also reached #5 in Canada[4] and #7 in New Zealand.[5]

Cover versions

A cover version was performed in early 1971 by Gail Farrell and Dick Dale on The Lawrence Welk Show, which is introduced by accordionist Myron Floren, then called a "modern spiritual" by Lawrence Welk after the performance.[14][15]

Later uses

The song is notably mentioned in the opening of Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and was "sung" by Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) in the 1998 film of the same name. In the 2014 movie St. Vincent (film), the song "One Toke Over the Line" is heard playing on Bill Murray's headphones and is listed on the soundtrack credits.

See also

• List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

External links

• Listen to "One Toke Over the Line" on YouTube

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