Day #38 – Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants

Day #38 – Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants

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?

Saint Barthelemy or de Saint-Barthelemy in French, also known as St. Barts or St. Barth, is an island that lies within several different classifications. It lies in the Leeward Island chain, and is part of the French West Indies, which includes the islands of Saint Marten and Martinique, and the territory of Guadeloupe. Guadeloupe itself includes multiple islands, four of which are inhabited and several which are not. Guadeloupe used to be larger, and include the islands of St. Barthelemy and St. Marten, which separated from the territory in 2003. The Leeward Island chain separates the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean and is connected to the Windward Island chain to the south. It’s an extensive island chain and includes many islands, with every one of them having a name that stirs up thoughts of sandy beaches, palm trees and beautiful skies no matter the direction a person looks, certainly bringing to mind Jimmy’s album Songs from St. Somewhere.

St. Bart’s official language is French, but a French/Antillean Creole is commonly spoke and English is spoken fluently on the island. St. Bart’s economy is based primarily on tourism, and it is considered one of the ritzier Caribbean islands to visit. The music of the island includes calypso, meringue, soca, zouk and reggae, and I can see how that musical vibration must have appealed to Jimmy.

St. Barts is also tied to a French pirate named Daniel Montbars, who made life very difficult for Spanish ships in the region, to the point of earning himself the nickname “Montbars the Exterminator”. At one point, Montbars sheltered on St. Barthelemy and is rumored to have buried some of his treasures in the sands of the islands. I imagine stories like that must have appealed to the sailor and, dare I say, pirate that Jimmy was.

Jimmy owned a home on St. Bart’s for years, wrote his beautiful tribute to his eldest daughter Savannah on this island, and even was part owner of a hotel/bar on the island that graced another song he wrote, called Autour De Rocher. He seemed to seek the place for the normalcy it could offer him, when he could just be Jimmy, and not Jimmy Buffett, mega-music star and King of the Parrothead Nation.

The island most recently popped up on a song called Johnny’s Rhum, just released on Equal Strain On All Parts. The song was inspired by Johnny Hallyday, a French rockstar often compared to Elvis Presley, who in later years spent time on St. Barts, maybe looking for peace and anonymity, drank some rum and managed to get himself a prime spot in in a parish cemetery in the area of Lorient. Honestly, it’s a great song on the new album, so again it makes me consider all of the fortuitous experiences that Jimmy had in his life. I hope some day some young and budding singer-songwriter will write a charming remembrance song for Jimmy, and the circle will be unbroken.

I believe that I read that Jimmy and crew were sailing to Martinique when they stopped over in St. Barts, and a connection was made for Jimmy. I guess you never know what place will call to your soul, but I believe that St. Bart’s certainly called to Jimmy’s.

***

Original post from 10/9/2023

Day #38 – Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants

“Now young Mister Moon flew away in the night, With his best friend Magnus right by his side, They soared through the Milky Way, counting the stars, Once around Venus, Twice around Mars”.

I have mentioned before that all my French language skills come from JB’s music, and this song is another one of those learning points. “Chanson pour les petits enfants” translates to “song for the children”, and this was a song Jimmy wrote for and about children before he had any of his own.

In 1978, Jimmy and several accomplices, including Jane Slagsvol, Tom Corcoran and Larry “Groovy” Gray, sailed into a bay on the island of Saint Barthelemy aka St. Barts (or Barth’s, depending on who is spelling it) in the Leeward Island chain. They were on Jimmy’s boat, the Euphoria II, and found out later they were recognized by the people on the island. They arrived later on the day, anchored, and celebrated their safe arrival into the night.

In the morning, they were greeted by a dingy full of children, who brought them coffee and beignets, both hot and appreciated, as a welcome gift from their parents and themselves. The children were from the boat, The Moon, and they were Magnus, Mishka, Heather and Suzanne. Mishka introduced them as the children “of the Moon”, and when Jimmy teased them about being aliens, they assured him they were not from “that moon”! There is a charming story in A Pirate Looks At Fifty about these children, and Jimmy touches on it again in a video episode of Directed By Delaney.

Jimmy decided to write a song for these children, using some French language phrases because St. Barts is a French speaking island. The song is quite whimsical and fantastical, and while the lyrics seem a bit trippy, there is plenty of truth in them. While Magnus retains his name in the lyrics, Mishka became Mr. Moon and there were ships in the bay called Moon and also a Venus, and these children would circle the ships in the bay on their little dingy, calling out greetings.

Jimmy put this song on his 1979 album Volcano, which was recorded on the island of Montserrat, south and east of St. Barts. It was never released as a single as far as I can tell, but the lyrics and melody have always connected to my heart. The island of St. Barts also connected with Jimmy’s heart because he bought a home there soon after, and spent several winters there, and considering it one of his “homes”.

Please enjoy Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants. It’s a lovely song and is quite charming. I have included the link in the comments below. 

***

Looking over my original post reminded me of how much the Caribbean in general meant to Jimmy, but he seemed to connect to certain islands more. St. Bart’s is certainly one of those islands. Thinking back on this story, of being greeted by a friendly group of children, makes me wonder if that “welcome to the island” by those children is one of the reasons that this island paradise latched onto a place in Jimmy’s heart. Or maybe it was the island itself? Or maybe it was the people who called it home or even the ones who just dropped anchor there for a time. Probably a combination of all of the above, and who could blame him for loving it.

Stacy

Please enjoy Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants. I have included the link below. Enjoy!

The link is from Jimmy’s official YouTube channel, which I have no personal affiliation with.