War's hit song broken down by Christian Hand

Heidi & Frank Studio Session w/ Christian James Hand, KLOS, 6/14/21; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Eric Burdon was 29 when he recorded this.

"Spill the Wine" is a song performed by white singer Eric Burdon and the band War, their first chart hit, released as a single in May 1970.

The song was inspired by an accident in which keyboardist Lonnie Jordan spilled wine on a mixing board. It features a prevalent flute solo and the sound of a woman — Eric Burdon's gal pal — speaking Spanish in the background.

Where did Eric get all that swagger and soul?

"Spill the Wine" first appeared on the album Eric Burdon Declares War and runs 4:51. Its writing credits include the members of War: Eric Burdon, Papa Dee Allen, Harold Brown, B.B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, and Howard E. Scott.

An edited version, released as a promo single for radio stations and subsequently included on most compilations, omits the middle spoken recitation, plus one chorus. The song was re-released as a single in 1996, after remixing by Junior Vasquez. More

• HF Studio Session with Christian James Hand