Day #17 – Southern Cross
Day #17 – Southern Cross
There are a few songs that, while Jimmy did not write, he certainly embraced and made his own, and that his fans embraced and made part of Parrothead lore. Southern Cross is one of them, and it’s absolutely worthy of fitting into the vibe that Jimmy’s music and life gifted to us.
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Original post from 9/18/2023
Day #17 – Southern Cross
I really debated about sharing songs that Jimmy didn’t have a part of writing, but I decided, whether he was a writer or not, he certainly made several songs a special part of his legacy, and today’s song certainly fits his vibe and legacy.
Southern Cross was first recorded by Crosby, Stills and Nash (although Nash wasn’t part of the studio recording) and released in 1982. What I only just learned is that Stephen Stills actually adapted a song written by two others, giving it rewritten verses and he adapted the chorus before it was recorded. It was originally called Seven League Boots by Rick and Michael Curtis. So, if the original artist wasn’t even really the original, why shouldn’t Jimmy share part of this story?
It seems JB has always had a soft spot for the sailing song, and tried it live in a couple small live shows. It went over well, and he played it some more. Jimmy said about this song, “it got into my heart, and then it stayed there”.
In 1996, he started playing it in his major shows and it became a huge concert staple for him, and by 1999, when he released his live album Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, he chose to put this song on it, over two of his own “Big 8”, one of which was my favorite Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes and the other was A Pirate Looks At Forty. That should explain just how special this song was to Jimmy.
When Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays was released, I got it and loved it so much I played it on repeat and nearly wore that CD out. Honestly, I don’t think I took it out of my car CD player for at least a month.
Jimmy never recorded it in a studio, but reportedly played it at least 840 times live in concert. He was still using it as an encore song when I seen him at New Orleans Jazz Fest in May of 2022.
Please enjoy Jimmy’s version of Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s Southern Cross. It’s a great song!
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I cannot even express how much I love this song. I think Jimmy loved it as much, or more, and that is why he always seems to perform it with such a sense of joy and vitality.
Stacy
Please enjoy Southern Cross. I have included the link below. Enjoy!
The link is from Jimmy’s official YouTube channel, which I have no personal affiliation with.
