#126 – Earl’s Dead – Cadillac For Sale
#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...
Tagged: Michael Utley
#125 – Sea Of Heartbreak
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.
#123 – Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
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…”
#121 – Nobody Speaks To The Captain No More
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.
#119 – Who Gets To Live Like This
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.”
#111 – Weather With You
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.
#110 – Ti Punch Cafe
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.
#103 – Scarlet Begonias
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.
#102 – Ragtop Day
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.
#100 – Peanut Butter Conspiracy
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.