This blog is part of a series through the top Billboard Country songs.
At the end of February and beginning of March, 2026, the top Country song on the Airplay charts is Morgan Wallen’s “20 Cigarettes”
I find this utterly fascinating–there is nothing in this song that the modern world likes, and there it is at number 1. Heck, I’m pretty indifferent to what the world does or doesn’t like and I found something irritating. Specifically I had to look up what “Demonbruen” is (in case you’re wondering–a street in Nashville named after a French-Canadian fur trader).
But seriously, this is a song about smoking and the hookup culture. Both of course have a long tradition in Country music. If you’ve not heard Tex Williams’ song “Smoke Smoke Smoke that Cigarette” you should give it a listen. There are lots of hookup songs too–“Strawberry Wine” by Deanna Carter is a well known one. Basically everything Conway Twitty ever sang fits in this category.
So there’s nothing out of left field in Country music in “20 Cigarettes.” At least, there wouldn’t have been thirty years ago. But in 2026 a song about hooking up and smoking runs against the grain of our modern sensibilities. Smoking is of course out. I remember when the first smoking ban passed in Wyoming. I voted against it and thought it would be demolished at the polls (property rights and all). It… was not even close. That was in 2005, today of course if there are places left where you can smoke inside they are unusual. So a song about smoking stands out.
Likewise in the wake of #MeToo hookups are, well if not “out”, at least less common. So a song with that as a theme surprises as well. Or it would if it weren’t by Morgan Wallen. As he’ll be the first to tell you, “I’m the problem.” He has established himself as a provocateur, and one that knows how to land directly where his fans want him to.
This is an especially interesting video to watch as a Christian. The words describe, but they do not endorse. Smoking and a hookup are present, but the song does not say whether this is an example to be emulated or a cautionary tale. The video, however, tells a different story. Or at least it amplifies the story the lyrics tell. Sparse and spartan, we see two people meet, connect over a cigarette (which is the only benefit to smoking, as far as I can tell), and then go their separate ways, leaving Wallen alone with his smokes at the end. In fact the whole event seems to be a reliving in Wallen’s memory, as we see him examine the scene from different angles.
This life, in other words, breeds loneliness. Satisfaction cannot be found in cigarettes and sex, something else is needed. And the video highlights this truth. “20 Cigarettes” calls back to older Country, and in doing so may point to something better even than itself.
Dr. Coyle Neal co-hosts the City of Man Podcast and is an Amazon Associate (which is linked in this blog). He teaches Political Science, Philosophy, and History in Southwest Missouri.
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