If you’re tired of country and bluegrass songs about whiskey and moonshine, then Robert Ellis has some new music for you. In a family-friendly, fun-for-all song about a Mexican mineral water, Ellis seemingly channels a salesman, pitching the good flavor and non-inebriating qualities of the song’s namesake, Topo Chico.
“I’m obsessed with Topo Chico. Absolutely obsessed,” Ellis says. “Lots of Texans are. I don’t think I’ve drank a drop of still water in 5 years. I woke up at my place in Austin one morning…a little hung over. My partner asked if she could grab me something to drink. In the time it took her to get back from the kitchen, I had basically written the whole tune. It’s a jingle for my favorite drink. Like ‘Sangria Wine’ by Jerry Jeff Walker, but for modern Texan weirdos like me who just can’t put down the bubble water.”
Ellis’ newest record, Texas Piano Man, came out on Valentine’s Day of 2019, and in contrast to other songs on that album, this charming number reflects an attitude of not taking one’s self too seriously. Take a look at the spaghetti western music video for “Topo Chico.”
Photo credit: Alexandra Valenti
