95 Proof

 

When I was in my junior year in high school, my girlfriends and I went on a drinking escapade.

I never really drank before that day; all except for maybe sips of champagne on New Year’s Eve, with the family, in front of the television watching the New Year’s Eve extravaganza.

On that day, we rocked our cups of Cisco. It was potent and it was fun. I became an alcohol lover ever since. Little did I know that I’d become somewhat of an alcoholic. 

40 Oz and a Trophy

I never knew that I could down an entire 40 oz of Old English beer until I tried it for the first time. I never knew I would like beer until I guzzled down a 40. But I did it; all in one gulp. I liked it. I thought it was cool. I would guzzle down 40s like I had to, and it didn’t grow tired; even after moments of blackout, I still went for a bottle of OE. I eventually phased out of it and started going for harder alcohol.

The top of my dresser looked like a trophy case of empty alcohol bottles. They were all different kinds and of various potencies. The most potent one was a 190-proof bottle of Grain alcohol which contained 95% alcohol. I still remember having a drinking party in my dorm apartment with my roommates and we were all drinking Grain alcohol. There were people regurgitating it on the balcony and in the midst of their sleep. Everyone who drank the Grain alcohol got sick. I decided to never drink it again. I chose other alcoholic beverages instead.

 

Happy Hour

After work happy hour parties became a thing. Our favorite restaurant was a Szechuan restaurant that had the best happy hour in the world. It was good because the size of the shots were like a real regular glass of alcohol and the drinks at happy hour were only $3.50. We were there like once or twice a week just drinking away and calling the waiters over to say things like, "tequila shots all around please," or "I'd like a Scotch and Ginger ale on the rocks," or "may I have a purple Mothafucka?" 

My drinking days all ended one night when I woke up and found myself lying down in a gurney at the hospital. My friends took me out for my birthday, and I had one too many drinks. Everybody was buying me shots. Everybody was refilling my Rum Punch order. I passed out and my friend did not know what to do and so she called 911. I never imagined I would wake up to see fluids injected into my arm, in a hospital bed; but I did. What a wakeup call to have in the wee hours of your born day.  That was when I decided to let the drinking thing go. As much as I enjoyed drinking, it no longer served me. So, I gave it up.

Nine years later and I have not had a drink ever since.

 

The Drink is Over

One day, I was in my car driving home from Sunday service. I was behind the wheel cruising down the highway when a song idea came to me that I could not stop singing. I had to use my virtual assistant to open up my voice memo so I could sing my ideas into it to keep a memory of the song that my spirit was leading me to write.   

When I got home, I couldn’t help but to run to my DAW so that I could start writing and recording it into a melodic tune.

That is when the song, “Intoxicated By Your Love” was conceived. I wrote the lyrics, did all the lead and background vocal parts and created the musical melody for it and then forwarded the sketch of the song to my boy, Bassist/songwriter John Mueller to add his bass magic to the tune. And he did just that.

He forwarded the song back to me with his bass thumps on it and "Intoxicated By Your Love" became part of, The Stephanie Jeannot & John Mueller Project originally released on October 10, 2020.

All lyrics and vocals by Stephanie Jeannot. Music by Stephanie Jeannot and John Mueller.

 

95 Proof

I originally named the song "95 Proof". The song was based on the 95% alcohol found in the bottle of Grain alcohol that my college friends and I drank and all got sick from that day way back in the days. 

When I was a drinker, I was always thinking about drinking. I analogized drinking to love. The drink was not actually 95-proof, it was 190-proof, but I made love's kisses to be 95-proof because of the significance of the grain alcohol's potency.

Just one sip of my favorite drink, (a long island iced tea) quenched my thirst and made me want to lush on it. Love can often make you a lush for the touch of time and attention because it is so lovely and desirable. 

When love is in the same room or just simply looking into the eyes of love, you feel the tingles in your heart almost like the potency of a shot of Greygoose or Hennessy for someone with the hereditary addiction called alcoholism. It brings about a sense of longing for it and you start to trust in the feeling of love so much that you want to let down your walls to fill your cup with it all the time.

Alcohol was the addiction. Love in relation to it can be just like it, turn you into a lush, make you feel all bubbly inside and a little tipsy just by being exposed to it.  

And so is the song.

I would love it if you would check out a sample of the song here: https://youtu.be/zIFfanRr3w4

 

If you liked the sample, add the full-length version of this song to your music playlist today. Here is the link: “Intoxicated By Your Love” by Stephanie Jeannot & John Mueller - YouTube

If interested in hearing the entire music project for, "The Stephanie Jeannot & John Mueller Project you can stream it here: Spotify – The Stephanie Jeannot & John Mueller Project

Follow these amazing artists 

Stephanie Jnote http://instagram.com/jnotemusic

John Mueller http://instagram.com/jmuellerbass #intoxicated #jnotemusic #singersongwriter