Even today, when you look at a statue of the poet Anacreon, it's evident that he was a distinguished, and outstanding physical specimen. He'd have to be, to swill as much of the grape as his reputation claimed. For not only was he one of the prized nine poets that Greeks would one day declare to be the greatest of all time, but he was a noted imbiber, who waxed all the more lyrical, under the influence.

Born more than 2500 years ago, Anacreon wrote in the Ionic dialect, in a style that was meant to be sung to music, by a single person, as opposed to a chorus. And because he was often in his cups, or at least well-lubricated when the Muse struck, he embraced with enthusiasm, the universal themes of love, rejection, people, and pondering on everyday things. It was that very "average man's approach to subjects that made him a popular figure with peasants and politicians alike.

That popularity endured long after his death, with translations of his work inspiring many an imitator, and even more fans who simply repeated or embellished his works, while also sipping from a cup or two. So it was that in the late 1700s, a circle of well-off friends in London, England formed the Anacreon Society. They celebrated their hero by singing his works, and their versions thereof, in many a pub throughout the city. One of the most lasting versions is titled "To Anacreon In Heaven", which recounts his antics in the afterlife. Words and lyrics were attributed to a pair of society members, Dr. Thomas Arnold, and John Stafford Smith.

The melody wafted its way across the ocean to America, and when Francis Scott Key wrote the poem "In Defense of Fort McHenry" in 1814, it was sung to the same tune. Thankfully, the words were more sober than the original pub singers, and the title was eventually also tidied up to become "The Star Spangled Banner".