Talk:Thunderbird (wine)

What's the word? Thunderbird. What's the price? Thirty twice. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:14A:C100:8E20:1C95:2790:3C69:3E7D (talk) 00:02, 3 October 2020 (UTC)

There's a rhyme I learned as a youth that might be useful later in this article, but because of its origin and data type, I'm very reluctant to add it to the article.

"What's the word?  Thunderbird! What's the price?  A dollar twice!

It's nothing brilliant, but a very memorable piece of alcohol culture. I don't know if it came from street slang I heard growing up, or from an ad campaign from the 1970s or earlier, but if I had to bet, I'd say "street slang". --Unfocused 20:00, 5 May 2005 (UTC)


 * The Beastie Boys reference that rhyme in one of their own rhymes (on their album, Paul's Boutique):


 * You go upstate to get your head together/ Thunderbird is the word, and you're light as a feather


 * ---'light as a feather' referring of course to the buzz you get from drinking it. I used to drink Thunderbird often a few years ago, but I haven't drank it in a long time. Alexander 007 07:16, 21 May 2005 (UTC)

"What's the word? / Thunderbird / How's it sold? / Good and cold / What's the jive? / Bird's alive / What's the price? / Thirty twice."

Could this be the origin of this phrase? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHdxG-cTSiQ --The_stuart (talk) 16:12, 10 May 2015 (UTC)


 * I believe the slogan went what’s the word thunderbird whats the price twenty twice. I grew up in the 70/s and I think that was how it was used 173.170.193.124 (talk) 21:51, 5 January 2024 (UTC)

Removed section
I removed the following text: "Another is: What's the word? Thunderbird! / What's the price? Fifty twice! / What's the reason? Grapes are in season! / Who drinks the most? Them colored folks! / What's the reaction?/ Satisfaction!" I could find no mention of this alternate text doing a google search, and furthermore, it seems highly doubtful that "who drinks the most? them colored folks!" would be part of an advertising slogan. --Xyzzyplugh 09:23, 26 March 2006 (UTC)


 * This was actually used in radio ads across the midwest especially in the Chicago area in the early 1970's. I kniw it does seem unbelievable but it is actually true. 2600:100D:BF0A:16F7:F195:3586:C80D:BF72 (talk) 15:41, 29 June 2022 (UTC)

I heard it as:

''What's the word? Thunderbird! / What's the price? Thirty twice! / Want a chill? Get some chilled! /Who drinks the most? Use colored folks!''

I have enjoyed the beverage and it was always available chilled in my old neighborhood. My interlocutor was an African-American, a good natured friend and a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.76.156.62 (talk) 23:35, 11 September 2018 (UTC)

I distinctly remember the rhyme my father once repeated at home in the 1950s (he was a white optometrist, long active in promoting civil rights, who worked in the south side of Chicago with many black coworkers and friends). He said it was told to him with great good humor by one of his black friends: "What's the word? Thunderbird; what's the price? thirty twice; who drinks the mos'? Colored folks; who drinks the less? White folks, I guess." I want to be clear that "colored folks" was the accepted term for blacks at the time; and my father was clear to us (his family) that this was told to him by a black friend, who was simply amused by it. Nonetheless I don't want to add it to the article.

Pop references
In the article, Jessi Colter is credited with singing Why You Been Gone So Long. A lesser-known country singer named Johnny Darrell had a Top 20 country hit with that song in 1969, a year before Colter recorded it. The song was written by Mickey Newbury and has been recorded by many artists ranging from Chris Hillman of the Byrds, David Allen Coe, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Tony Rice.2602:30A:C032:6120:555C:1AB7:AB72:AED5 (talk) 22:23, 14 January 2017 (UTC)

Another pop reference would be to the Ian Dury song 'Sweet Gene Vincent' which contains the line, "Shall I mourn your decline with some Thunderbird wine and a black handkerchief?"

Clutch, a hard rock band from Germantown, Maryland, pays homage to Thunderbird and University of Maryland in their song "Worm Drink" from the album "Blast Tyrant."
 * then I added some lyrics...
 * Wikifreakia

Bob Dylan, in the third episode of the first season of Theme Time Radio Hour, makes the next dialog:

''What’s the name? Thunderbird!

What’s the price? 30 twice!

What’s the reaction? Satisfaction!

Whats the flavor? Ask your neighbor!''


 * 189.245.33.155 (talk) 22:17, 11 September 2017 (UTC)Mexican Fuzz

They Might Be Giants, have a song called Thunderbird about the drink on their 2004 Album, The Spine — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:400:C000:FB50:AC9E:7CF5:FAD6:47F3 (talk) 05:23, 2 July 2017 (UTC)

The wine
From this article I learn that Thunderbird is "an inexpensive fortified wine brand of E. & J. Gallo Winery in the United States. The wine is sold at between 13 and 18% ABV and first became popular in the 1950s". The rest of it is a lengthy but pointless selection of song lyrics, which must have been easy to write but doesn't tell me why these people wrote about it. What is the wine like, and what does it mean? How is it made? When was it launched, how popular is it? Where is it sold? What kind of wine is it based on? Why is it a "bum wine" - how expensive are other, presumably less insalubrious, alternatives? Why is it used to insult blacks? The wine is "sold at between 13 and 18% ABV" - how come? Are there several varieties, or is quality control very poor? Etc times many. -Ashley Pomeroy 18:41, 19 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Seconded. It's pretty much a stupidly long list of advertising jingles and song lyrics. We want to know what the stuff is like! WikiReaderer 00:09, 11 July 2007 (UTC)
 * I've had it. It was strong, cheap, and had a weird, sweet chemical flavor. I remember people mixing it with grapefruit juice to make it more palatable. It sold because it was cheap, and it kicked. More bang for the buck.
 * The rhyme wasn't used to insult Black people, I only ever heard it from them and they were talking about making the best of things. Over the years it got updated - "thirty twice" became "fifty cents twice" and "colored" became "Black". 2600:1702:2D80:79D0:4982:399E:81FE:D42B (talk) 03:39, 10 November 2022 (UTC)

In the mid '50's it was, "What's the word? Thunderbird. What's the price? Twenty, twice. What's the reason? Apple's aren't in season." "Twenty twice" was about right. Most cheap wines were about fifty cents in the fifties. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:249:8200:34C8:F9F9:B9AE:5FCD:C9FA (talk) 10:32, 12 November 2018 (UTC)