Day #8 – Volcano
Day #8 – Volcano
Another fun one! It’s catchy and peppy, and has a rhythm that just makes you want to sing along, even if you are lightheartedly singing about every location you might get blown to if the volcano blows!
I simply love Jimmy’s sense of humor! It’s always connected to me, and I imagine it always will!
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-Original post date 9/9/2023-
Day #8 – Volcano
1979, Jimmy decided to record his next studio album on the island of Montserrat in the British West Indies. While he certainly loved the Caribbean vibe, he picked this particular island because it was the home to AIR Studios, which was founded and owned by Sir George Martin, who was the producer of The Beatles.
Jimmy also brought along a new band member Keith Sykes and between him, Jimmy, Ser George, Jimmy’s “Changes” producer Norbert Putnam, long time band member Michael Utley, they set out to make a record in a slice of paradise. It was like throwing the combination of ingredients in a blender and getting a lovely tropical frozen concoction to drink; the album Volcano was born.
On the island, under the shadow of a dormant Volcano, they found a warm water pool where they would go to relax, looking up at that huge Volcano, and asked themselves “What if?” A line here, a line there, some rhyming, a reggae rhythm and Volcano not only become a song, but they titled the album after the very song that was written almost by accident.
In 1995, that long dormant volcano started belching and spitting and finally spewing lava and ash into the sky, almost as if the song had predicted it. Much of the island was evacuated, including its capital and the studio where the album was made, people unfortunately did lose their lives, and the island was forever changed. Even today, almost half the island is unusable because that volcano has remained active.
Volcano is one of one of Jimmy’s “Big 8” and it’s a really fun song!
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Something that I did not realize when I first posted this, was that this was released just prior to Mount Saint Helens erupting in 1980. A friend told me afterwards that at the time, she was working at a Dude Ranch in western Montana, near Big Fork on the Flathead, and as gray ash floated down like snow for weeks, this song became “everyone’s theme song”!
It occurred to me after hearing this, that timing was almost supernatural. Jimmy writes and puts out a song about a Volcano erupting, and even though it’s far away from Montserrat, Mount Saint Helens made a definite impact on the western US. I was in kindergarten, and I recall that same ash falling down on the playground, like dirty snow.
And I am not saying that Jimmy’s song caused a volcano to erupt, but how amazing were the odds that he was just starting his summer Volcano Tour in 1980 when all of this was occurring. The song of the summer, no doubt!
Stacy
Please enjoy Volcano. I have included the link below. Enjoy!
The link is from Jimmy’s official YouTube channel, which I have no personal affiliation with.
