Songs about the gambling world

Gambling is often associated with a high-rolling lifestyle. With everyone wanting a piece of luxury, there’s nobody better to portray it than rich celebrities. Among these celebs are singers and songwriters. For that reason, it makes sense for artists and other creative industries to incorporate it into their work so that it is more appealing to wider audiences. Some celebrities even have their own online gambling games which play these infamous gambling songs. All of the famous singers in this list are known for their musical contributions to the industry, but these songs are our gambling-themed favourites.

Poker Face – Lady Gaga

 

Possibly Lady Gaga’s most famous song and one from early on in her career – ‘Poker Face’. The song relates to a Poker bluff; where a player attempts to hide all expression from their face to elude their opponents. It’s typically known that players wear their ‘Poker Face’ when they’re trying to hide something from someone, hence Lady Gaga’s lyric; “he can’t read my Poker Face”. The song references gambling actions on many occasions, including the lyric: “fold ’em, let ’em, hit me, raise it baby stay with me” – actions you would see in Poker or Blackjack. The song reached number 1 in numerous countries, including the UK in 2008.

Ace of Spades – Motörhead

 

Motörhead were a classic English rock band, whose name has gone down in history for providing intense drum solos and wicked guitar riffs. Although band members haven’t been constant, the music has; producing hit after hit, including ‘Ace of Spades’.

 

This song heavily references the gambling industry. The title alone refers to the highest card in the deck, the Ace of Spades. You can hear a Craps reference in these lyrics: “Seven or eleven, snake eyes watching you. Double up or quit, double stake or split”. If you listen closely, nearly every lyric refers to the gambling industry. ‘Ace of Spades’ was released from the Ace of Spades album in 1980 and since then it has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.

Waking up in Vegas – Katy Perry

 

This song has more of a pop vibe rather than Motörhead’s rock music. The song title is clear as to what storyline follows. It seems as though Katy Perry has enjoyed a few crazy nights out in Vegas and written about the best moments to produce a new hit. Wake up and “It’s all a blur” is something a lot of people talk about after visiting Sin City. The song goes on to talk about the quirks of the city including getting “hitched last night, dressed up like Elvis.”

Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley

 

Speaking of the King, Elvis’ ‘Viva Las Vegas’ is the most iconic song that describes Sin City. There aren’t many songs that are as memorable as this one. Elvis sings about the glorious “bright light city” setting his “soul on fire”, where he wished there were more hours in the day to play “Blackjack and Poker and the Roulette wheel.” Nobody paints a picture of Las Vegas in your mind quite like Elvis, and to this day the record is known as one of his greatest hits. Although he died over 40 years ago, Elvis is still one of the best-selling solo artists in the history of recorded music.