Mike Brewer gives this account of the origin of the song, "One day we were pretty much stoned and all and Tom says, 'Man, I'm one toke over the line tonight.'

Such a pattern of operation is clearly a violation of the basic principle of the licensee's responsibility for, and duty to exercise adequate control over, the broadcast material presented over his station.

The song was performed in early 1971 by Gail Farrell and Dick Dale on The Lawrence Welk Show, which Brewer credited with giving the duo "more publicity than we could pay for.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee session pianist Floyd Cramer of the Nashville A-Team (who worked regularly with many musicians, including Elvis Presley) recorded an instrumental version in 1971.

The song is notably mentioned in the opening of Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and was "sung" by Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) in the 1998 film of the same name.

[citation needed] In the 2014 movie St. Vincent, the song "One Toke Over the Line" is heard playing on Bill Murray's headphones and is listed on the soundtrack credits.