Jimmy Buffett
More than beaches and boat drinks
Wastin' away again in Margaritaville
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt
-Jimmy Buffett
Isn't it ironic that the song that Jimmy Buffett turned into a billion-dollar "island escapism" brand is actually pretty sad? However, perhaps what makes "Margaritaville" and Margaritaville™ so enduring is the fact that Buffett was willing to tackle subjects that create the desire for escape, not just the beaches and boat drinks. Parrothead culture is fun, but sometimes it eclipses how great of a songwriter Jimmy Buffett truly was.
We think he’s pretty great, so we’re dedicating an entire Swap to the GOAT of beach bum music, including a Bonus Track from a mother of four who’s a Parrothead child at heart.
Come Monday | Jimmy Buffett (Mat)
Could there be a better line than, "I've got my Hush Puppies on, I guess I never was meant for glitter rock and roll"? I don't think so. I couldn't resist including this song this week: I love that line. Buffett passed away on Labor Day Weekend. This song is a top 3 Buffett tune for me, and my wife is out of town. But come Monday, it'll be all right.
Also available on Apple Music.
Son of a Son of a Sailor | Jimmy Buffett (Adam)
Jimmy Buffett grew up in one of the greatest cities along the Gulf of Mexico, Mobile, AL. He and I have that fact in common. Though he did spend a lot of time in places a lot more tropical, like Key West, his childhood/adolescence along the coast of Alabama sparked an interest that we see throughout his music.
Jimmy had a way of writing that made you believe he might have actually been a pirate, or at least he lived the lifestyle. Son of a Son of a Sailor feels like an expose piece on the true heart of Buffett. Cruising along wherever the wind takes, writing songs. What a life to live. Though I wish he would have tossed out that anchor, I am truly glad he continued to cruise along and leave such a lasting legacy.
Also available on Apple Music.
A Pirate Looks at Forty | Jimmy Buffett (Kody)
I first learned to appreciate this song through one of its covers performed live by Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, and Tim Reynolds.
It’s Buffett at his best:
Beach bum images (pirate, ocean, Miami)
Beach bum realities (regret, emptiness, longing)
There’s beauty and brokenness in this classic Buffett tune.
Also available on Apple Music.
Bonus Track: Jimmy Buffett and the Joy of Life by Juli Gibson
I shuffled back and forth between the fridge and the kitchen island crying on Saturday morning, dishing out French toast sticks and tiny bowls of syrup. I had woken up to the news that Jimmy Buffett had died the day before. It felt so personal. Which is weird. But that’s what music does to you.
Jimmy Buffett has been a thread woven throughout the seasons of my life.
In 1988, he wrote a picture book with his daughter, Savannah Jane, called The Jolly Mon….I read it in 3rd or 4th grade and did a book report on it… an enchanted guitar played by a man with dreadlocks, guided by a dolphin made of stars in the sky. C’mon, pure magic.
In 6th grade, my parents took my sister and me to Maui. In Lahaina, there was a restaurant named Cheeseburger in Paradise - which was not owned by Buffett actually (he lost a legal battle over that). But, we ate there, right on the water, with the ocean breeze coming through a covered upper deck. We came back to Oklahoma and listened to “Songs You Know By Heart” over and over. It has always immediately reminded me of that trip and the joie de vivre I first felt with a greasy cheeseburger and salty air. It is a vivid memory of having “fun” with my parents, seeing them enjoy themselves, which I think has great power and instructs us as impressionable children…
As a young first-time mother, I stumbled upon an old song he had written for his daughter Savannah Jane…”Little Miss Magic”….. “Constantly amazed by the blades of the fan on the ceiling, those clever little looks she gives just can’t help but be appealing.” Here once again was my favorite voice singing so tenderly. I felt like this song was a secret that only I knew about.
He was one of the first artists I learned to listen to simply because I enjoyed it and I loved how it made me feel: breezy, a bit magical, and undeniably low-key cool. Ridiculous I know, but we all have a particular sound that makes us feel that way. And it explains why I love Zac Brown Band, Jason Mraz, and Bob Marley. I like laid-back happy music. I want to always feel steps away from the ocean breeze. Even in a Honda Odyssey, miles away from anything cool, holding on for dear life to my identity, I know exactly how to get back to her if I need to.
When I texted my husband the screenshot of the news, the first thing he said was “Dang! I’m sorry babe. I’m sorry we didn’t make that happen.” “That,” he knew, was a bucket list dream for me to see a show and dance with the Parrotheads, but certainly something we hadn’t discussed in at least a year. I was surprised that was his response. But I shouldn’t be, that’s what it means to be known.
So here is your reminder to do the thing. Book the trip. Buy the ticket. Don’t be an “over-forty victim of fate”… sadly, for me, “I’m arrivin’ too late, arrivin’ too late.”
And at the very least, play your tunes and enjoy yourself this weekend, in honor of the man who taught me how to do the same, Jimmy Buffett.
Juli Gibson loves beautiful things and invests in the good of those around her. She prefers her Pandora stations over Spotify. Her artist of 2023 is definitely the Lone Bellow and her next live show will be Gregory Alan Isakov in Kansas City, MO.
Thank you for reading the Swap. See you next week!
-TheMusicSwap
Juli!! What a bonus track.