44 of the Best Songs to Listen to While High
Published on August 16, 2022
From Snoop to Willie to Gaga, we know that weed is ingrained in music culture. We know that everyone from Cypress Hill to Afroman â and everything from mainstream pop to gnarburger skate punk to underground trap â has been inspired by cannabis. But that culture didnât just come out of nowhere: it comes from a place of experience.
When it mingles with our endocannabinoid system, weed affects the way we process sound, and ultimately the way we experience music. Like music psychologist Daniel J. Levitin wrote in The World in Six Songs, when you listen to music high, âSubconsciously all of the usual processes of expectation formation are still occurring, but consciously, the music creates what many people describe as a time-standing-still phenomenon. They live for each note, completely in the moment.”
And the moment matters, too. Thatâs why Tough Mama made you these playlists to suit whatever vibe youâve got going today â as long as that vibe includes being super high.
For F**king Shit Up
This vibe doesnât just call for joints, it calls for blunts. Itâs a sativa kind of mood that goes hard and goes long. For creative moments and aggressive inspos that call for big bursts of energy and heart-pumping euphoric feelings.
- âSet It on Fireâ by Blood Cultures (LUNO, 2021)
- âWhen I Get Thereâ by Big Wild (Invincible EP, 2017)
- âDeceptaconâ by Le Tigre (Le Tigre, 1999)
- âLevel It Upâ by The Coup (Sorry To Bother You, 2018)
- âIâm Not Made of Ironâ by Chrissy Zebby Tembo, (Canât You Hear Me?, 2016)
- âDisparate Youthâ by Santigold (Master of My Make-Believe, 2012)
- âExpect the Bayonetâ by Sheer Mag (Need to Feel Your Love, 2017)
- âLove Song for the Apocalypse – Maulskull Remixâ by Ceschi, Maulskull (Single, 2020)
For Spiritually Ascending
On the other end of the spectrum â letâs call it the indica end of the spectrum â sometimes you just need to zone out. You need to see colors in your mindâs eye that you didnât even know existed, whether youâre hardcore meditating or just sinking into the void of the couch. Pair this one with a high-THC vape for smooth listening and primo spiritual ascension.
- âDo It Againâ by Valida (Do It Again, 2021)
- âDays of Stoneâ by Dre Island, Chronixx (Now I Rise, 2020)
- âFell Into the Oceanâ by Dan Deacon (Mystic Familiar, 2020)
- âMicronomicâ by Lali Puna (Faking the Books, 2004)
- âUnderwater Loveâ by Smoke City (Flying Away, 1997)
- âWorld of Blueâ by Bent (From the Vaults, 1998-2016 Vol. 2, 2013)
- âSomething For Your M.I.N.Dâ by Superorganism (Superorganism, 2013)
- âI Wonât Hurt Youâ by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band (Part One, 1967)
For the Skate Park
Weed plus music and weed plus skating are timeless equations that equal nothing but good stuff. Bring classic and modern punk and hip-hop vibes to the park for nostalgic bliss and shreds that motivate you through all those scraped knees and ball-busting grinds. Partake in a hybrid or CBD-infused smoke for balanced highs that feel like the California sun.
- âSmirnoff Iceâ by Yung Lean (Total Eclipse, 2019)
- âKrackedâ by Dinosaur Jr. (Youâre Living All Over Me, 1987)
- âTimes We Canât Let Goâ by Toys That Kill (Joyce Manor/Toys That Kill Split EP, 2014)
- âNoâ by Billy Nomates (Billy Nomates, 2020)
- â410 7/11 (I Love You But Youâre Bringing Me Down)â by GUPPY (In Heat, 2019)
- âI Got 5 On Itâ by Luniz (Operation Stackola, 1995)
- âI Donât Like Youâ by JFA (Valley of the Yakes, 1983)
- âWhere Were Youâ by Mekons (Heaven & Hell, 2010)
- âWave of Mutilationâ by Gouge Away (Consider, 2020)
For Keeping the Party Rolling
This playlist starts with a couple Tough Mama YOLO SHOTZ â and maybe some other types of shots, too. It ends when the sun comes up. Or maybe when someone gets power-bombed through a card table full of Solo cups and into a pool full of your best friends. Best friends who go hard or donât go at all.
- âDoses & Mimosasâ by Cherub (Year of the Caprese, 2014)
- âNight Lifeâ by Nosleepnodrugs, Afroman (Single, 2020)
- âPlastic Skeletonsâ by Jealous of the Birds (Single, 2018)
- âParty Like Your Heart Hurtsâ by Rubblebucket (Sun Machine, 2018)
- âHaving a Partyâ by Lee âScratchâ Perry (Scratch Came, Scratch Saw, Scratch Conquered, 2009)
- âDonât Delete the Kissesâ by Wolf Alice (Visions Of A Life, 2017)
- âGive It Up Or Turnit A Loose – Remixâ by James Brown (In the Jungle Groove, 1986)
- âFantasyâ by DyE (Taki 183, 2011)
- âNightclubâ by The Vaccines (Single, 2018)
- âDancinâ To The Truthâ by Dumpstaphunk (Dirty World, 2013)
- âSoul No. 5â by Caroline Rose (Single, 2018)
For Getting Naked
Just like it elevates the sensory experience of music, weed has been used to elevate the sensual experience for as long as thereâs been weed and people. And as long as thereâs been people, thereâs been f**king â thatâs how we got here. Because some songs just make you want to get naked.
- âInviting You Inâ by Free Creatures (Single, 2021)
- âPureâ by Cigarettes After Sex (Cry, 2019)
- âCherry Ripeâ by The Preatures (Girlhood, 2017)
- âCanât Stop the Loveâ by Gentleman, Collie Buddz (Cali Roots Riddim 2020, 2020)
- âFeel Rightâ by Object Heavy (Single, 2022)
- âBoylife in Americaâ by Cody Chesnutt (The Headphone Masterpiece, 2002)
- âPut It Downâ by Jazmine Sullivan (Heaux Tales, 2021)
- âDescribeâ by Perfume Genius (Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, 2020)
The right music, just like the right strain, caters to just the right moment. And those moments are yours, not ours. We may have laid a few foundations with some of our favorite tracks, but itâs up to you to light âem up even brighter with your own cuts â now get out there and make some memories, even if youâre too high to remember them for long.