Just a girl who loves Jimmy Buffett and wants to share his music, stories and lifestyle with the world!
#126 – Earl’s Dead – Cadillac For Sale -by Stacy Garwood- Earl’s Dead – A love story. Although the car sale tag grabs your attention, this song is a whole lot more than a...
February always seems like a month that is tied to the concept of romance, most likely because of Valentine’s Day, which is mostly connected to romantic love, deep love, to falling in love, or how we express ourselves in love. Valentine’s Day has become a holiday tied to flowers, chocolates and overpriced greeting cards, which we then use to express our attention or admiration to those we love. But with love, there is always the chance of heartbreak. I would argue that some of the greatest songs in the world evoke the emotion of heartbreak, rather than love, and those are the songs that touch our souls so deeply. Sea Of Heartbreak is absolutely one of those songs.
#124 – Abandoned On Tuesday -by Stacy Garwood- A new year, a new theme, but still deep diving into the music of Jimmy Buffett. Deciding on a theme this year felt easy. Jimmy Buffett...
As 2025 was drawing to a close, and the new year was approaching, I wasn’t sure the direction this blog was going to take. It felt like it might be time to let the road conclude, and yet, there is still so much music and stories to share. Jimmy left us with a lot of material, and in many ways, it didn’t feel like the path was quite complete.
Happy Birthday Jimmy Buffett! I did not want to let this holiday season pass without wishing you a big, beautiful, happy heavenly birthday. And it only seems fitting to share a song from one of Jimmy’s two Christmas albums, and honestly, the song came easily to me. It’s become a Christmas classic with a subtle message of love, peace, and nostalgia. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is the perfect song to share for this occasion.
“So this is Christmas and what have you done, another year over, a new one just begun…”
What comes around once a year? It’s not a riddle, although that could be a great riddle. Many things come around once a year, actually. To name a few, dates like birthdays and anniversaries, seasons, and actually the earth’s rotation around the sun perfectly describes something coming around once a year. Events like rodeos, concerts, circuses and fairs are often annual. Other things that come to mind are holidays, such as New Years, Easter, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, which is fast approaching. Of course, that major winter holiday brings to mind the idea that Santa also comes around once a year, tied to a world full of diverse celebrations at Christmas. Which happened to be Jimmy Buffett’s birthday. A Christmas Day baby was little baby James William Buffett!
So the riddle is… what Jimmy Buffett song connects Santa, circuses, Jimmy’s birthday and his extravaganza traveling show…well, that answer is Big Top.
“Just like Santa, I come around once a year, Time to break out all of your party gear, There’ll be a jump up out on the lawn, Just look for all your friends, Singing along with your favorites once again…”
November is here. The veil is thin. It’s time to share a song. What to do? What to feature? What to focus on? What song fits this time of year?
There is a song that has been softly humming to me for months, many months actually. It has softly insisted on grabbing my attention, but the time never seemed quite right. I am not sure if the time is right now, either, but I can ignore the whispered lyrics and the haunting melody no longer. And so, Nobody Speaks To The Captain No More gets its chance to shine.
October is a dream-like month, lying somewhere between the glory of summer and the brisk, stillness of winter. What song could fit this month? Every October, Vampires, Mummies and The Holy Ghost comes to mind, but since that has previously been featured in this blog (in a previous October post), something else needed to step forward. There are hundreds of Jimmy’s songs that are worthy of sharing, but as I often do, I left it up a little bit to chance, and a little bit to what is perhaps messages from spirit, perhaps Jimmy himself, and almost immediately, this melody called out. Perhaps, even from “the bright Pleiades…” Jimmy Dreams.
This weekend marks an anniversary that I have not been looking forward to. It is Labor Day weekend in the United States, and most people are celebrating by potentially taking a day or two off from work, possibly camping this weekend, or at least having a barbeque with friends or family. It was also a weekend that Jimmy never missed in concert, entertaining the masses, or at least his quirky collection of fan(atics). Jimmy enjoyed his life, enjoyed his career, enjoyed his fans, and as he said so perfectly, “who gets to live like this.”
It’s summer, and it’s warm, and while Montana’s August heat and mild humidity cannot compare to the sweltering summer heat of the gulf coast, it’s probably a given that most everyone can appreciate quiet and cool, such as in sheltered libraries or because of the gentle night breeze and midnight drive that brought this song to my attention last night. One of Jimmy’s more gentle songs, as sweet as it is surreal and sublime, hiding in a cool corner with a good book and a good song, seems quite appropriate. Love In The Library is the song that is calling out to be shared this month.
Happy July! Summer is here, having just rolled past the summer solstice a couple weeks before, and then the 4th of July, with songs by Jimmy Buffett rolling through my mind. The “Fourth” holiday always brings to mind very American things, such as flags and fireworks and fun, as well as the enjoyment and relaxation of a summer picnic celebration. Captain America is a song that touches on comic book hero’s and the innocence of a bygone era, similar to lazy summer days in the sun. This song is also a reminder of how the world feels a lot differently than it did back when it was written, or even five years ago.
What does it mean to take another road? How many roads are there that can be taken? Limitless, probably. No end to the roads we can take, or the alterations we can make in our lives. It is up to us what road or how we choose, although at times life seems to divert or detour us in a way that we did not see or cannot possibly understand. I guess life makes a “course correction” for us in these cases, and we are left to have faith that it’s part of a great plan on our life’s map. But for the most part, it’s our choice to step forward, choosing the roads before us, such as staying on the same path or offering us a way to Take Another Road.
This song has been waving at me for a little while, wanting to have it’s turn to in the sunlight, but the timing never seemed quite right. And yet, today seems like the perfect day to share it. There is a northeast wind blowing and rain is falling from the sky, and I am thinking about places where the sun keeps shining and warm ocean breezes, and the gentle vibe of this soft rock/folk song seems like it was designed for a day like today. Everybody’s Talkin’ is a song that paints a picture of a certain mood, and I would guess that almost everyone has heard at least one version of this song, although it may not have been Jimmy’s version.
This month, we are traveling back to the seventies, to “classic” Buffett, to the Key West days and the music that was part of Jimmy’s transition from folk/country to creating his own sound, which would later be termed Gulf and Western. The song we are highlighting is one of those songs that not only connect to the life that Jimmy was living at the time, as a new artist making a living touring honky tonks and beach bars and a few hotel lounges, along with the party-hard-until-you-drop mentality that came with it. Kick It In Second Wind is funny, truthful and a little bit rowdy, and captures Jimmy’s life at that time in lyrical detail.
Some people love this song, some people do not, some people may not even know it, and therefore this post might be considered a deep dive into Jimmy’s music, but When Salome Plays The Drum has always felt captivating and interesting and tempting. It makes you really want to know more. What inspired it, what is true, or what isn’t; who was Salome, or was there ever a Salome?
Sometimes a song catches your attention because of the instrumentation, sometimes it the lyrics. Savannah Fare You Well is one of those songs that fits into both of those categories. It has an almost haunting quality, with a little darkness and a little shimmering imagery, and once you hear it, it will stick with you. Just the other day, the lyrics lamenting “fragile magic” and a “some devil’s mixing fire and ice together,” drifted out from my car radio, and this month’s song presented itself.
It seems like the recent weather news had been riddled with winter storm warnings, zig zagging across the map, looking more like toddler scribbles on a piece of paper than any organized weather system, although, predicting the weather probably isn’t easy. And winter storm warnings, perhaps more than any other, can bring a serious case of anxiety and dread. Which doesn’t help lighten anyone’s mood… and this song popped right into my head, as well as right onto my car radio courtesy of RadioMargaritaville.
Weather With You…Because the idea of your mood shifting the weather around you might sound like a science fiction plot, but in many ways, our moods are like weather, and they can shape the overall feeling of our environment, or the room that we happen to walk into.
Jimmy Buffett, as a writer, whether of songs or stories, was never short on ideas, nor afraid to let his imagination flow. Some of Jimmy’s songs were based on a simple inspiration, maybe a sunset or a perfect day on the water or an iconic drink from the islands, while some of his songs had multiple inspirations, which he always managed to combine into a fantastic song, as if they were always meant to be merged and set to music. Even odd combinations, such as far away star systems and cosmic bakers, or mythologic singers and pirates, or children’s stories about princes from outer space, Ti Punch Café is one of those songs, a little bit of everything that seems to fit together into a beautiful world we would all like to visit for an hour or two, maybe even longer.
The world has felt edgy and uncomfortable for a while. I do not for a moment believe I am the only person feeling it, although my life has had some serious challenges recently. Certainly, in the last several months, and maybe even further back to the pandemic, although we might not have been aware of exactly what we were feeling leading up to that time… but something was coming, something was going to change things, and it was going to feel unsettling.
“Waiting for the next explosion” feels like that’s what our world has been feeling for the last several months, so the RadioMargaritaville Wheel of Fortune spun this song out to me last night, I nodded my head and said “yes, indeed” to the Universe. Perfect song at the perfect time, and I gave some words of thanks into the heavens to Jimmy Buffett for always having the right song for the right moment, as well as a nod to his foresight in writing and recording this song, which is twenty-five years old, but still feels just right to describe the way the world feels right now.
“Keep the party going” is a quote that’s been rolling through my mind the last several days, and it’s been in relation to my blog posts about Jimmy Buffett’s music. At the beginning of the year, I planned on a song post every Monday, keeping the song sharing going, that I started last year, as a tribute after Jimmy’s passing…
“It’s my job to be better than the best, and that makes the day for me…”
It’s My Job was released on JB’s 1981 album Coconut Telegraph, and it happens to be one of two songs on that album that Jimmy did not have any part of writing. It was written by Lyman Corbitt McAnally Jr. Yes, that’s Mac’s full name, the incomparable Mac McAnally, long-time friend, writing partner, bandmate, and stage side kick of Jimmy Buffett…
#107 – Grapefruit – Juicy Fruit -by Stacy Garwood- This Labor Day weekend marks the anniversary of Jimmy’s death. It has gifted us with multiple celebrations in his honor, including Jimmy Buffett Day on...
Hello and with deepest apologies, I will see you when I see you next. But before signing off, I want to leave you with this… “Some of it’s magic, some of it’s tragic, but...
We have all had those moments, when we have said something, done something, or didn’t say or do something we should have, and we have no way to explain how it happened or what we are thinking. This goes for relationship woes as well as everyday life choices. One of the things that connects Jimmy’s fans to his music is that he tells it like it is. He’s been there, we’ve been there, and sometimes there is no explaining it away.
“So I’ll just keep on dreamin’, Thoughts that are in my brain, You just keep on being’, Lady I can’t explain…”
Everybody has at least one place, and if we are lucky, we have more than one place, which is our oasis at the end of the road. That place where we want to spend time at the start, in the middle, or at the end of a beautiful day. And perhaps even into the starry nighttime. And Down At The Lah De Dah sums up that place perfectly. It’s like “everyone’s” beach bar/perfect place song, and it connects with us on so many levels. Perhaps in fond memories from the past, a place we have known our entire lives, a connection with a recent holiday weekend, or even in a special place that we are striving to find in the future. Down At The Lah De Dah means something special to each person who listens and sings along.
Some songs just catch your attention from the moment you hear them, even if you have no idea what the song is about or if you are even sure what the lyrics are, and Lage Nom Ai is one of those songs. It’s almost impossible not to hear it and sing along. You might even find yourself tapping a foot, swaying to the music, or just getting up and dancing in place. Lage Nom Ai is that kind of song.
If there was one song that could weave together the Deadheads and Parrotheads, it would be Scarlet Begonias. A fusion of eccentric fans, fun, and flash, with beads, bangles and feathers, and tie-dye and Hawaiian prints, and while the two groups have always had many similarities, and probably several people who wear both hats, when Jimmy Buffett covered the beloved Grateful Dead song Scarlet Begonias, these eccentric groups were undoubtedly fused together with music.
There is nothing like a convertible car, top down, sunlight shining on you and wind streaming by as you cruise around enjoying an open top view of the world. And Jimmy Buffett was not a person to miss such a great opportunity for a song, and a great one he has given fans is his lovely and catchy song Ragtop Day, which paints a picture of a beautiful weekend adventure on a classy “ragtop” automobile.
When you think of Jimmy Buffett music and the word “magic”, probably the first thought would go to Little Miss Magic, a song that Jimmy wrote for his oldest daughter Savannah Jane when she was quite young, or songs such as He Went To Paris, which has “magic” so strongly tied to the message of the song, or if one wants to get philosophical, then one could imagine that “magic” runs through much of Jimmy’s music, but a song with both “magic” in the title as well as a thread in the song, is Bring Back The Magic.
Sometimes there are songs that can make a listener laugh right out loud and sing along at the same time, and Peanut Butter Conspiracy by Jimmy Buffett is exactly that kind of song. It’s humorous and irreverent and charming, which showcases some of Jimmy’s greatest songwriting abilities, all tied up in a neat package with a lyrical quality that makes the song both easy to listen to and easy to sing. And even if you have never stolen one thing from a convenience store, somehow the listener can connect to the song in a way that feels real and understanding and forgiving all at the same time.
The U.S.S. Zydecoldsmobile…There are fun songs, there are colorful songs, there are songs that make you want to tap your feet or dance, and this is certainly one that fits all those requirements. Even if you are not quite aware of what all the lyrics or story is about, people will still connect to the sound, the rhythm, and the energy of the music. Jimmy Buffett covered this song, which was written by the fabulous slide guitarist Sonny Landreth, placing in on a studio album and playing it multiple times in his live shows. When Jimmy covered a song, it was because he both loved the song and admired the writer, and this song is no exception, and it’s all wrapped up in a fun story of a car and its path pursuing the road to zydeco music hot spots.
Some songs just catch you at the right moment or at a special time, and become a part of your story, and then there are just some songs that will catch you no matter what is going on, regardless of time or place or space. Ballad Of Spider John is one of those songs. It has a soulful lyrical quality, a melody that hums right through you and has hints of great mystery, of love and then loss and the loneliness that can follow while we carry forward in life.
“’Spider John’ is my name, friend, I’m in between freights and I sure would be obliged, If you’d share your company…”
University Of Bourbon Street is a song that seems to encapsulate just about everything that Jimmy Buffett loved and admired about New Orleans, combined into one rollicking, Jazz anthem that could lift the heart and soul of every person that hears it. There are mentions of voodoo and gris gris, pirates and streetcars, hurricanes and riverboats, Po’Boy’s and Muffaletta’s, and if that doesn’t capture your attention, then the brass band, dancing feet, second line imagery certainly will. A song that is so personal to Jimmy’s life that his parents’ names are even in the lyrics. Then, there is the actual music, which will absolutely have your feet tapping and your hands clapping and your soul lifting up, all wrapped into a nice little “how to” package of fun!
Jimmy Buffett was an amazing song writer and performer, and I think that made him appreciate other songwriters and performers. One of those who was a great friend of his, and who Jimmy credits for teaching him so much, was the late Steve Goodman. One of Goodman’s biggest hits of his career was a little tune he penned called City Of New Orleans, and several times in Jimmy’s career, he honored Steve by playing this song and even put a live version of it on an album.
Wheel Inside The Wheel is one of those songs that catches your attention immediately on first listening, regardless of whom is performing the song. It’s colorful, mystical, and a little bizarre. My introduction to it was on Jimmy Buffett’s 2006 album Take The Weather With You, and it is a soulful stunner of a song.
Tides is one of those types of songs that feel like it fits Jimmy Buffett and his lifestyle perfectly. There is the ocean and waterways, there is travel and adventure, there is friendship and stories, there is a gentle lyrical quality that touches on Jimmy’s introspection and appreciation for the beautiful currents, both in life and on the water, and all the gifts and adventure that those tides can bring.
We are dipping back into the early Key West days this week, where Jimmy was still in his transition between folk and country into the more beach and ocean vibe that he would later call Gulf and Western, a genre of his very own. And Brahma Fear is a song that seems to combine all of those music types into a soft and gentle as well as nostalgic and introspective.
Ask any Jimmy Buffett fan what their favorite Jimmy Buffett song is, and you could get a hundred different answers. Ask Jimmy Buffett what his favorite Jimmy Buffett song is, and his answer would be Twelve Volt Man. It’s really that simple. It is documented multiple times over the years as one of his favorites, and he reported it as his favorite in at least one “it will last forever” video interview. I personally know a couple people that report it is their favorite Buffett song, and there are so many wonderful things about it, it’s easy to see why it is theirs, and Jimmy’s, favorite!
Wonder Why We Ever Go Home is a song that Jimmy Buffett wrote in the seventies, having had a couple twists and turns and reinventions along the way, before making its final form appearance on his noteworthy 1977 album, commonly referred to as “Changes” to his fans. It is soft and reflective, soulful and sad, and seems to capture the deeper parts of Jimmy’s songwriting talents.
There are many songs that Jimmy Buffett has recorded over the years that seem to touch some deep chord in the listener’s soul. And Stores We Could Tell is one of those songs. And it goes way back to the early years of Jimmy’s music, when he was still struggling in Key West, but everything was starting to fall into place. His music from that time shows his ever-evolving development as an artist, but also seems to touch on things that were important in his life. Storytelling was an integral part of Jimmy’s life, both as an artist and as a human who was spending a lot of time touring to make his dreams come true. Therefore, he was spending a lot of time in hotels between travel and shows, and this song manages to poignantly embrace both the performer and the soul of who Jimmy was.
Like My Dog was released on JB’s album Equal Strain On All Parts, the album that turned out to be Jimmy’s posthumous gift to us. The song is light, it’s playful, it’s humorous, it’s emotional and poignant in a way that is hard to describe, yet still leaves the listener feeling warm and fuzzy. I think this song connects deeply with people who understand the special bond between humans and dogs.
What If The Hokey Pokey Is All It Really Is About is a humorous, irreverent, and yet strangely introspective song of Jimmy Buffett’s. It has his characteristic humor mixed into popular culture, current (for 2002) news and deeply thoughtful questions and concerns about life on this crazy planet we call Earth, as well as our ever-expanding universe. And what is the Hokey Pokey really all about anyway? It is supposed to be simple, while life is not. The ironic thing is, while the Hokey Pokey song and dance are uncomplicated, its history is quite complicated.
Jimmy Buffett was great at creating a picture, a scene, or demonstrating a lifestyle with his music. The music can invigorate the listener, it can make us feel emotional or nostalgic, often times it can make us smile, or laugh right out loud. Hey, That’s My Wave hit’s both the humor and the nostalgia, bringing to mind days when the surf was less crowded and there was enough room that people did not need to brawl in the water to catch a wave. The water and many of its activities, including surfing, were an integral part of Jimmy’s life, and I am grateful that he was able to bring so much life to my mind through his music.
Floridays has always felt gently captivating to me, somewhat like a lullaby. It is a song that is both reflective and mellow, and feels evocative of the earlier Key West songs that Jimmy wrote. Yet there is a quality to the lyrics that shows there has been a passage of time and life, but still helps the listener understand that the simple and beautiful life along the Florida coast was tied deeply to Jimmy’s heart and soul. This song always feels like a homecoming song, as if he realized when he was writing it, all of the things that he was perhaps missing, but certainly loved, about the state that he connected to so strongly.
Miss You So Badly is one of those Jimmy Buffett songs that has always held a special place in my heart because it mentions a well-known mountain town in the lyrics as if it was a character in a story- Missoula. Therefore, appealing to this Montana girl, even though I am very much a flat lander from the northeastern plains of the Treasure State. It is probably one of the lesser-known songs on JB’s hit album Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes, but the very first time I heard it, the mention of Missoula certainly pricked my ears and made me curious about Jimmy’s time in Montana. And it has now led me down a little trip of Montana history.
Not even six months after the loss of Jimmy Buffett, the world is now mourning another musician that did things his own way and did it well – the great country and western star Toby Keith. Both were singers and songwriters who had vision, talent and an ability to create lyrics that seems to paint pictures in our minds, whether that was boat drinks on sailing vessels drifting along tropical shores, or in gritty dive bars filled with blue collar America out for a good time, both men were true to themselves and their music. And managed to come together on a couple of occasions, with some memorable music in the mix.
“Too drunk to karaoke, too drunk to karaoke…”
This Hotel Room is one of those quirky, fun songs that I have come to associate with Jimmy’s music, and it was on one of the early albums, the iconic Havana Daydreamin’. It’s a song with a subject that most people can associate with, having spent a night or two in some roadside motel room or stacked up on the third floor of some intriguing downtown hotel. The song is another of the songs that Jimmy covered that was written by his very good friend, the immensely talented Steve Goodman.
“I had a dream I was down at Jojo’s, Havin’ a burger ‘neath the setting sun, Johnny was sitting in the corner, Sippin’ on a glass of Depaz Rhum…”
Of all the songs on Jimmy’s posthumous album, this one took me completely unaware, and captivated a bit of my soul when I first heard it. And each and every time I hear it, I still feel the same way. Cataloging favorites is hard, so all I am going to say is that this song is special.
Johnny’s Rhum was released on JB’s 2023 album Equal Strain On All Parts. It turned out to be a posthumous album release, although I do not necessarily believe it was intended to be. Whatever its intent, this is an album full of wonderful songs and each is special in its own way.
“Sunset is an angel weeping, Holding out a bloody sword…”
Besides the title words, this line has been an ear worm for me for quite a while, well back into last year when I was doing my initial song tribute after Jimmy’s death. The only reason this song did not make the initial posts was because I was trying to focus on songs that Jimmy wrote or had a part of writing, but I knew it would be an early song for me to focus on in this second year of sharing Jimmy’s music. This is a gorgeous song and Jimmy’s version is true to the original while feeling absolutely heartfelt.
This song has been an ear worm for me for quite a while, even last year it just kept playing over and over in my mind, but there wasn’t the chance to include it with my initial posts, but I knew I hoped to share and discuss it early in this year. It is a beautiful song, one of Jimmy’s softer, more poignant ballads, and it has always struck a chord with me.
Elvis Presley Blues was released on JB’s 2006 album Take The Weather With You. This album was a bit different for Jimmy because it had more covers than songs written by himself. The majority actually, with ten of the fourteen songs being covers, songs I believe that Jimmy loved from artists that he admired.
This song was written by husband-and-wife duo David Rawlings and Gillian Welch (I am listing him first only because alphabetically he is listed first on the songs writing credits). It was performed and released on Gillian’s 2001 album called Time (The Revelator). If you enjoy music, I recommend you try to find Gillian’s original version to listen to, as well as the entire album, which received critical acclaim. I remember hearing it while I was visiting a friend in Billings, Montana and went out and bought myself a copy of the CD. If you like the folk-americana sound that is absolutely timeless, Gillian Welch is an artist you might like.
I bet if you asked a group of people about this song, casual Jimmy Buffett fans, or even some more serious ones, the majority would tell you that Jimmy Buffett wrote this song. It would make sense, after all Jimmy put in on an album in the mid-seventies and has been singing it ever sense, it fits his lifestyle and his brand and some of his early life choices… but that majority of people would find out that this lovely gem of a song was written by Steve Goodman.
Here it is… the day my spontaneous tribute connects the 76 songs that came before, wrapping up something that began with an ear worm sometime in the night between the ending of September 1st and the start of September 2nd, when myself and many people in the world were reeling from the news of Jimmy Buffett’s passing at the age of 76, is now connecting with Christmas Day, December 25th to cap off what in total is my 77-day deep and sincere thank you card to James William Buffett.
Jimmy Buffett said this about wings, “Let’s face it, I like my wings. The ones you can see on my plane and the ones you can’t see in my brain. They have taken me on some very interesting flights”. Wings have multiple different meanings to people, but one thing that most can agree with is that wings are tied to a higher plane than the one gravity ties us to on earth. Here’s to a new set of wings, Jimmy, and to wherever they may take you next.
When I first shared A Sailor’s Christmas from Christmas Island back in November, I didn’t pick a specific date. As a matter of fact, the date seemed to pick itself. I was wrapping up the tribute that started very organically when I was shell-shocked and deeply mourning Jimmy’s passing, and the date didn’t matter at all to my choices. I knew I wanted to share something from one of his Christmas albums, and also a song that he had written. I knew I had a song I wanted to end with, and so the Christmas song just fell into place the day before that.
Most of Jimmy Buffett’s music is quite positive, even if it deep dives into harder life issues, like growing older. I think his humor, his creativity, his adventurous spirit and his unique outlook on life translated into his music, giving us real life struggles that made us realize that while he was a bare-footed, board short wearing king of all he created there up on that stage, he was just as human as the rest of us. With aches and pains and accidents that plague us all at times. This song in particular lets us understand Jimmy’s struggles, but how he overcame them with positivity, and shared that positivity with us in his music.
This is an absolutely beautiful song. The lyrics, the melody, the meaning, the atmosphere… all combine to give the listener something very extraordinary to partake in. I think Jimmy had an incredible gift for telling a story while at the same time painting a picture that was so easy for the listeners mind to see, all the while giving it just the right melody to create something stunningly beautiful.
I think Fruitcakes is one of those great songs that Jimmy wrote. It’s funny, it’s irreverent, it’s honest, and it has a fun sound that makes you just want to sing and dance along. This song is a treasure trove of crafty lyrics and real life. It lets us know it’s okay to be a bit different because there are other fruitcakes out there too. They are in the kitchen, they are on the street, and you can feel like you are all one big fruitcake family.
Some people might call this song Jimmy’s “bread and butter”, and it certainly is popular. Perhaps even his most popular song. It has multiple plays on jukeboxes, multiple plays on online streaming applications, and it’s probably his most played live songs in concerts and shows. It’s a song that people recognize and can sing along to, certainly in the United States, but I dare say across most of the globe. I believe it can take you to a certain place and time, whether it’s state of mind or a memory, or a hope for the future. It’s simply a fabulous song!
Home is defined in multiple ways. It can be a place where one lives permanently, it can be a place of origination or a base of operations. It can be where you were raised or where you come from, it can be a place that lasts an entire life or just a few weeks or days. It can be a place where you feel like you belong, possibly because there is something about that place that you connect with or fits your attitude or mindset. It seems like a simple word, but “home” can be quite deep and complicated.
Much of Jimmy’s music can be looked at on different levels, and this song is a great example. The “coast is clear” can refer to the end of summer and the quiet, clear beaches that are left in the wake of humans retreating at the end of summer. It can also simply mean the weather is clear, with no storm or clouds on the horizon. In that sense, it’s not just about weather, though, because it can metaphor for safety. Depending on my mood, this song strikes me a little differently each time I hear it, although I always recognize how beautiful it is.
Jimmy Buffett and Steve Goodman became friends early in Jimmy’s music career. I don’t know if I ever heard any details about a legendary first meeting, or if such a thing exists. When Jimmy talked about Steve, he talked about him like an old, dear friend, someone who has been part of your life forever. He would tell stories clubs they played in, of the Cubs and visits to Wrigley Field, of songs they wrote together, such as this one. Honestly, I wish I could have been around while they were writing this one together, to hear and watch that process, the humor, the lyrics, what inspired a line or word in this amped up song.
From the Parrothead Handbook in Jimmy’s own words when talking, not only about this song, but about himself and stories about himself in general, “I’m amused by the rumors that crop up out of nowhere about me and what I’ve done. I have been spotted at parties by drug agents when I was actually two thousand miles away. I have bought ocean liners. I have been seen on stage in countries where I have never set foot, and have played golf on courses that I have never seen. Word just seems to get around”- Jimmy Buffett.
I imagine there was a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his lips as he penned those words. Still, I imagine there is a certain change that comes with fame that makes things never feel quite the same again.
Jimmy took inspiration from a broad list of things. Images, sayings, quotes, stories in books, and poetry. He even took inspiration from random slips of the tongue at dinner tables, which we see with very recent songs as well as touching back as far as Margaritaville. For this songs’ inspiration, Jimmy’s muse was Mark Twain, the pen name for American author Samuel Clemens, who, with a couple scratches of his pen, wrote a line that inspired Jimmy enough to write this lovely, lyrical song that touches on some of Jimmy’s philosophy in life along with the sharp yet humorous lyrical quality he became known for.
Of course, Jimmy spent time in his early career in New Orleans, and the eclectic culture of that unique city leaves an imprint. In my original post, I touched briefly on the term gris gris, which is included in Love And Luck’s song lyrics. It is usually tied to voodoo, hoodoo or root magic and it seems to have originated with west African culture that migrated to the Caribbean and gulf coast areas, and then was adapted into the greater culture. In this sense, it means a talisman, an amulet, a charm, a spell, or an incantation believed capable of warding off evil and bringing good luck to oneself or of bringing misfortune to another. Mostly, it’s seen as a good luck charm!
The Pleiades are also called the Seven Sisters, as Jimmy mentions in his song lyrics, but are known officially in astronomy circles as Messier 45. It can be found just a bit to the north-west of the constellation Taurus, has a bluish glow, and is 444 light years from us. That seems like a long way away, but it’s actually one of the nearest star clusters to Earth. It is quite visible to the naked eye, and is stunning through a telescope, or even something as simple and easy to use as a pair of binoculars. It shows up in myths and legends across our globe and has many more names than the few that I have mentioned. Its prominence in world culture makes it unsurprising that it makes an appearance in Jimmy’s music and plays a starring role in the life of his Desdemona.
It seems like Jimmy usually included the pulse of current culture in his music, as well as being at the “right time, right place” often in his life. This song combines both of those into a humorous story set to music. And through in one of The Beatles for fun, and you are sure to have something magical in the making.
A sandbar is exactly what it sounds like, a bank or bar of sand, usually at the mouth of a river, but also can be along the coast. They can be pretty stationary, or they can move, depending on the strength of the water current. They can be likened to shoals, dunes or spits. In a metaphorical sense, a sandbar can be defined as a boundary that we get stuck on, or a barrier that keeps us from moving forwards, backwards or any direction at all.
A chalice is a large cup or goblet, usually ornate and for the drinking of wine. It tends to be associated with people or environments that are expensive and affluent. A tin cup gives the impression of the opposite of what people think of when it comes to fancy drinking glasses, more “salt of the earth” than luxurious or exclusive. Of course, Jimmy saw the juxtaposition and wrote it beautifully into this poignant and soulful song.
“I wish the whole wide world could swim along at slack tide”, the lyrics say, along with “Out here, conflicts and chaos completely subside”. There is so much to appreciate in the words to his song and the message it sends. Each time I listen, something else stands out to me, or it triggers something in a different way.
“Who would have thought this game, this flame would still be burning, Who would have guessed that all these blenders would still be churning” leads the way, and also gives us the magnificent acknowledgement of “here we are, for a family reunion, costume barbeque, all the black sheep, family outcasts and a freak or two”. Why would I even try to say it any better than this marvelous song already says for us? I couldn’t, even if I tried. Jimmy already says it perfectly in this homage to his beautiful, enthusiastic fan base.
Denver Colorado is called “the Mile High City” because its official elevation is listed at 5280 feet, exactly one mile. Looking into information on where exactly this elevation is measured from reveals it be the 13th step on the west side of the State Capital Building. Now, why that is the official measurement spot is a bit bizarre, but regardless of a couple of feet or not, Denver sits at a very interesting elevation. Cities need nicknames, and this is a pretty great one. There is no doubt in my mind, that Jimmy heard that nickname and ran with it, maybe starting with a title or a few lyrics and eventually coming up with a charming song about the Colorado Rocky Mountains based on a city with an iconic nickname.
Time is a funny thing, isn’t it? Somedays I feel like I am as young as I was thirty years ago, and some days I am feeling all the changes that thirty years brings to life and my physical body. I would think many people have a similar feeling.
In some ways, our lives have changed a lot in thirty years, and in some ways, many of the questions pondered in this song remain just as accurate today as they did then. Realizing that brings a special kind of awareness to life. How special life is, how fragile life is; awareness about how many things have changed and yet how many things remain the same. And wondering if that is how life is supposed to be?
I have learned a lot of interesting things about the inspiration for many of Jimmy’s songs during this song tribute, and this one is no different. This song has proved to be quite interesting, much more than I had realized at first, and I have a feeling that details will continue to pop up. One thing I didn’t realize when I first posted about the incident that inspired at least some of this song, was that on that day in Nashville, when Jimmy Buffet and Sammy Creason stepped into the ring (or parking lot) with Buford Pusser, earlier on that very day, they had ironically recorded God’s Own Drunk in a studio for Living And Dying In ¾ Time, which led to celebrating with too much tequila, getting themselves “God’s Own Drunk”, which led to a few questionable choices.
What is a boat drink, you might ask? Depending on who is answering, you might hear a hundred different suggestions or get multiple drink recipes. Someone might tell you they must have tequila in them, others might say rum. Someone might say they have to have fruit or fruit juice in them, while others might insist the drink must be blended. Others might say, whatever it is you are drinking, whether it is a cold beer or a tall iced tea, as long as it’s served with a paper umbrella in it, then it’s most likely a boat drink. Does it have to be served on a boat? Does it have to be served in warm weather? Perhaps your boat drink might include a dream of sunny weather while the snow falls down around you, which is what is hinted at in this fun and fabulous song of Jimmy’s, with no particular drink mentioned.
If you look on the internet, you can probably find a thousand different recipes for gumbo. Each has similarities and each has differences. There are both slight and significant variations. Influence can range from tradition to location to inspiration. In that sense, gumbo feels a lot like Jimmy Buffett’s music, and maybe that is why gumbo was one of Jimmy’s favorite southern dishes.
A pencil thin mustache is a very specific look. It is a bit daring, a bit creepy and incredibly iconic. I always wondered what gave Jimmy this song idea. Looking back on a quote from Jimmy’s Parrothead Handbook, Jimmy says about this song, “The thing about writing a song like this is that the older you get, the more people there are who need an explanation of the characters in the song. I shudder to think how old Sky King’s niece Penny is today, and it all started with the two-toned Ricky Ricardo jacket. I can’t wait for them to come back”. That quote gives some clarity, and indicates it was never the pencil-thin mustache that was the initial inspiration, it just became a line and the title, and then something that became very iconic for Jimmy’s songwriting career.
Relationships are a huge part of our lives, maybe the biggest parts of our lives. Romantic relationships, family relationships, friendships, work relationships… these things define us, help shape us, are integral to our lives. Coast Of Carolina is about relationships on a couple different levels and is a stunningly beautiful way that Jimmy acknowledged several of those important people in his life.
This is one of those great songs, a song that ties Jimmy’s humor with his ability to paint a picture, which allows you see the whole story in your mind. Of all the quirky lyrics, I think the TV mentions are my favorite. “We got fifteen dollars and a can of STP, A big old jar of cashew nuts and a Japanese TV” and later “In walked the deputy sheriff, he was holding our TV”. “Our TV”, because they stole it and possession make it theirs? Jimmy’s ability to use wit in his songs is something I appreciate so very much.
I think this song sums up not only Jimmy’s love of adventure, but also his appreciation for travel, culture, people and places far from where he grew up. The song tells us about some of his travels and uses his wonderful storytelling skills in the lyrics to paint a gorgeous picture.
Migration is defined as “movement from one part of something to another” or “seasonal movement of animals from one region to another”. While Jimmy never specifically mentions the word migration in his song lyrics, he used it for the title of his song. In the song, Jimmy does mention people who retire to Florida, and he also mentions himself in a backyard (in Key West) wondering how he ever got here. Both are certainly examples of migrations, and another lyric mentions sailing down to Martinique and establishing a new life with a parakeet, a Bogart suit and a bottle of wine. At the time of this song, this is a future migration, but one I believe hinted at Jimmy’s love of adventure and his willingness to keep migrating if it suited his soul.
Jimmy wrote so very many songs that uplifted people when they heard it. I also think there were songs that were written by others that I feel uplifted Jimmy’s spirit, most likely when he heard it, but certainly when he performed it. Brown Eyed Girl is one of those special songs.
In the Parrothead Handbook that came in the box set of Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads, Jimmy writes, “dolphins gliding along beneath the bow of a ship, effortlessly crossing the wake and doing flips, set off a big wave of human jealousy. If we are so smart, why can’t we do that?” That is a wonderful question. He goes on to say that he wrote the picture book version of this song along with his daughter, with the understanding that “humans can learn from animals, and that the natural world has room for all of our needs”. Of course, he means human and animal needs alike. Perhaps nature as well? I think it’s beautiful that this idea is something he felt strongly enough about to teach to his daughter. And by means of the song, and the accompanying story, he taught us as well.
Caroline Street in Key West has become so much a part of Jimmy’s musical reputation that inside the Margaritaville restaurant in Key West, is a street sign, showing Duval and Caroline. I have also wandered along Caroline Street, looking at houses and apartments, taken many pictures while enjoying the architectural charm that Key West has to offer. I, like most of Jimmy’s fans, am enamored with this song, and therefore the street that lives on in its title.
Havana is a city that shows up more than once in Jimmy’s songs. It seems like it’s either a place people are trying to leave or a place that people are trying to get to. Havana is the capital and largest city by population in Cuba, and the second largest populated city in the Caribbean. Known as La Habana in Spanish, it’s a city that’s history and architecture stir up dreams of the past and the tropics.
The inspiration for this song, as mentioned by Jimmy in his Directed By Delaney interview, was a writer named Kenneth Patchen, an American novelist and poet. He died in 1972, and it seems like Jimmy was inspired by his being a relatively unknown author who died fairly young. In fact, Patchen was sixty years old at his death and had published several books on poetry and a few novels, but he was a man who also had experimented with Jazz music as well as photography and painting. A real Renaissance type of man, and what I have found out about him could go on for days.
When Jimmy and crew wrote this song, I doubt they had eclipses on their mind, but it was on my mind when I first posted, because it was on the day of a solar eclipse. Since my original post, we experienced the continuation of the cycle and the lunar eclipse and now we have moved right out of eclipse season. But the sun is with us every day, sometimes bright and hot, sometimes muted and it feels like no heat comes from it at all, and about a million variations in between. No matter how it shines, it’s still a gift in the sky and the thing our whole little solar system rotates around, giving life to us, inspiring us.
Something I failed to mention in my initial post was to discuss what a barometer is. A barometer is a device used to measure atmospheric pressure and is helpful when determining weather forecasts. My grandparents had a barometer hanging on the wall of their farmhouse, and it might still be there, alongside an old mercury thermometer, still determining conditions. And I grew up on a farm, listening to more weather reports than a human could possibly ever need to know, so the idea of a barometer or barometric pressure feels like my old friend. I have yet to put one in a pot of soup, though…
Guitars come in all shapes and sizes, and string combinations as well, but the most common would be a six-string guitar, which Jimmy was referencing in this song. Six strings, tuned to E, A, D, G, B, and E, again, elevating an octave by the top string. It seems simple, but as a human who cannot play the guitar, but has toyed with it, I know it’s not that simple at all.
This song was a result of a summer or two or three that Jimmy spent in Montana in the early seventies. It is a song that has certainly made its mark on Ringling, Montana, and it has made its mark on me as well. I can’t say what kind of mark it has made on Jimmy Buffett or his career, but according to setlist.fm, he has played this song 50 times in live shows, which isn’t to shabby, considering that is more song plays than the current population of Ringling.
False Echoes led me to think about stories and memories, and both are funny things. If told a story, we can all hear different parts of it more clearly than others, or not at all. Time and memory and attention can alter these details, until the story changes and changes some more. I want to take a small look into the song lyrics and a couple ships that might tie to this song.
Jimmy has written more than one song influenced by the island of St. Barts in the Caribbean, but Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants was his first, and no doubt most tender. What was it about this island that captivated him so?
I love that this song talks about curiosity, but also hints about the never-ending questions we all have in life, child or adult. “Teach your children to go fishing with their minds” is something I touched on in my original post, but I want to investigate the concept more. Jimmy himself strikes me as a person who was incredibly curious, and I imagine he was a child full of questions. And maybe there were never enough answers for him? And in that way, I think he went searching for his own answers, and he found them in his songs, his experiences, his travels, and his friendships.
I am not certain if Jimmy or Delaney had any idea the impact that these video interviews would have on Jimmy’s fans, but they certainly did. I for one loved watching them all before, but after Jimmy’s passing, they have a whole deeper meaning for me, and I am so grateful to this father and daughter team for providing us with such a special and personal series.
This song will get you every time you hear it. I imagine even for people who have no idea who Jimmy or Savannah Jane Buffett are, this is one of those heart-warming songs, connecting to a father and daughter’s special bond. I am my Dad’s oldest, and his only daughter, so I understand that bond deeply.
My Google search on Pascagoula today told me that I am 1 day and 10 hours away from Pascagoula, Mississippi … by flight! Which is not at all correct if a person shops better than Google is trying to shop for me. I might even be able to drive it in 34 hours if I only stopped to get gas and pee. I swear, Montana is not at the end of the world!
Today is a big day in Jimmy Buffett’s world, even though he might not be with us on the physical plane of this big round ball we call Earth, he is certainly with us in spirit. Today is the release day of Equal Strain On All Parts. We have been able to hear several of the songs from the record already, and we already know that there is one song that already has captured the hearts of his fans, which is Bubbles Up. It already ties to us in an emotional way that maybe equals the emotional attachment we have to He Went To Paris, which for me, has always been deeply sentimental.
Mañana turns out to be a very special day for Parrotheads everywhere, because tomorrow, November 3rd, is the day that Jimmy’s album Equal Strain On All Parts is officially released! I have been waiting for it since summer when I heard the first stirrings on RadioMargaritaville, when I first heard My Gummie Just Kicked In. Then, September 1st kicked me in the gut, and I knew that things would never be the same. But right now, we have a gift coming mañana and I am so grateful for that.
In the sense of this song, I define gypsy as a free-spirited person or one who lives a nomadic existence, or raids pantries full of food and booze. In concert, Jimmy has introduced this song as “the scariest song you’ll hear tonight” with his trademark sense of humor and gentle drawl. I never got the chance to housesit for Jimmy Buffett, so I can’t promise if I might not have acted a bit like a gypsy myself. Cheers to whomever inspired the writing of this vastly entertaining song.
Tomorrow marks two months on this earth without Jimmy with us. Today is Halloween, and tomorrow marks the Catholic holidays of All Saint’s day, and then after that, All Souls Day. I wasn’t raised catholic, but Jimmy was, so I don’t know how he felt about these holidays, but in a worldwide perspective, with the season of Dia De Los Muertos with us, this seems like a perfect time to honor not just Jimmy, but his father and father’s fathers, and all the ancestors in his line, both paternal and maternal. If it wasn’t for them, there would not have been him!
It’s a crowd favorite. It’s a bar room favorite. It’s a favorite of mine while singing in the shower or the car. It’s both funny and more than a bit true. And that combination was a great part of Jimmy’s songwriting charm.
#126 – Earl’s Dead – Cadillac For Sale -by Stacy Garwood- Earl’s Dead – A love story. Although the car sale tag grabs your attention, this song is a whole lot more than a...
February always seems like a month that is tied to the concept of romance, most likely because of Valentine’s Day, which is mostly connected to romantic love, deep love, to falling in love, or how we express ourselves in love. Valentine’s Day has become a holiday tied to flowers, chocolates and overpriced greeting cards, which we then use to express our attention or admiration to those we love. But with love, there is always the chance of heartbreak. I would argue that some of the greatest songs in the world evoke the emotion of heartbreak, rather than love, and those are the songs that touch our souls so deeply. Sea Of Heartbreak is absolutely one of those songs.
#124 – Abandoned On Tuesday -by Stacy Garwood- A new year, a new theme, but still deep diving into the music of Jimmy Buffett. Deciding on a theme this year felt easy. Jimmy Buffett...
As 2025 was drawing to a close, and the new year was approaching, I wasn’t sure the direction this blog was going to take. It felt like it might be time to let the road conclude, and yet, there is still so much music and stories to share. Jimmy left us with a lot of material, and in many ways, it didn’t feel like the path was quite complete.
Happy Birthday Jimmy Buffett! I did not want to let this holiday season pass without wishing you a big, beautiful, happy heavenly birthday. And it only seems fitting to share a song from one of Jimmy’s two Christmas albums, and honestly, the song came easily to me. It’s become a Christmas classic with a subtle message of love, peace, and nostalgia. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is the perfect song to share for this occasion.
“So this is Christmas and what have you done, another year over, a new one just begun…”
What comes around once a year? It’s not a riddle, although that could be a great riddle. Many things come around once a year, actually. To name a few, dates like birthdays and anniversaries, seasons, and actually the earth’s rotation around the sun perfectly describes something coming around once a year. Events like rodeos, concerts, circuses and fairs are often annual. Other things that come to mind are holidays, such as New Years, Easter, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, which is fast approaching. Of course, that major winter holiday brings to mind the idea that Santa also comes around once a year, tied to a world full of diverse celebrations at Christmas. Which happened to be Jimmy Buffett’s birthday. A Christmas Day baby was little baby James William Buffett!
So the riddle is… what Jimmy Buffett song connects Santa, circuses, Jimmy’s birthday and his extravaganza traveling show…well, that answer is Big Top.
“Just like Santa, I come around once a year, Time to break out all of your party gear, There’ll be a jump up out on the lawn, Just look for all your friends, Singing along with your favorites once again…”
November is here. The veil is thin. It’s time to share a song. What to do? What to feature? What to focus on? What song fits this time of year?
There is a song that has been softly humming to me for months, many months actually. It has softly insisted on grabbing my attention, but the time never seemed quite right. I am not sure if the time is right now, either, but I can ignore the whispered lyrics and the haunting melody no longer. And so, Nobody Speaks To The Captain No More gets its chance to shine.
October is a dream-like month, lying somewhere between the glory of summer and the brisk, stillness of winter. What song could fit this month? Every October, Vampires, Mummies and The Holy Ghost comes to mind, but since that has previously been featured in this blog (in a previous October post), something else needed to step forward. There are hundreds of Jimmy’s songs that are worthy of sharing, but as I often do, I left it up a little bit to chance, and a little bit to what is perhaps messages from spirit, perhaps Jimmy himself, and almost immediately, this melody called out. Perhaps, even from “the bright Pleiades…” Jimmy Dreams.
This weekend marks an anniversary that I have not been looking forward to. It is Labor Day weekend in the United States, and most people are celebrating by potentially taking a day or two off from work, possibly camping this weekend, or at least having a barbeque with friends or family. It was also a weekend that Jimmy never missed in concert, entertaining the masses, or at least his quirky collection of fan(atics). Jimmy enjoyed his life, enjoyed his career, enjoyed his fans, and as he said so perfectly, “who gets to live like this.”
It’s summer, and it’s warm, and while Montana’s August heat and mild humidity cannot compare to the sweltering summer heat of the gulf coast, it’s probably a given that most everyone can appreciate quiet and cool, such as in sheltered libraries or because of the gentle night breeze and midnight drive that brought this song to my attention last night. One of Jimmy’s more gentle songs, as sweet as it is surreal and sublime, hiding in a cool corner with a good book and a good song, seems quite appropriate. Love In The Library is the song that is calling out to be shared this month.
