The point of a lot of music is to make the listener feel good. Yes, there are important lessons and messages to offer music fans. Yes, there is craft and pushing the artistic envelope. But at the end of the day, if your music doesn’t engender a good feeling in its receiver, then it’s not going to be received for very long. And few songwriters and performers knew that better than Jimmy Buffett.
The king of the beach bums—a nickname we say with great affection—knew how to bring out the best in other people. He wanted nothing more than to put a drink in your hand (assuming you’re of age, of course), sunglasses on your face, and a grin across your lips. And here below, we wanted to explore three songs of this that remain timeless, create joy, and showcase just how expert a craftsman he is.
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[RELATED: Watch Paul McCartney, Snoop Dogg, Kenny Chesney, Harrison Ford, and More Sing “Margaritaville” in Honor of Jimmy Buffett]
“Margaritaville” from Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes (1977)
A song about having a good time. Or at least a song about being away. The singer is on an island somewhere—the land of margaritas—snacking, watching the tourists, and wondering how he got that tattoo. It’s not because he’s run from some brokenhearted situation. No, he’s just aloof and sun-baked. As a result, this song has become the anthem for anyone on a beach, their mind gone a little hazy and nothing but the summer in front of them. On the timeless and iconic track, Buffett sings,
Nibblin’ on sponge cake
Watchin’ the sun bake
All of those tourists covered with oil
Strummin’ my six-string
On my front porch swing
Smell those shrimp, they’re beginnin’ to boil
Wastin’ away again in Margaritaville
Searchin’ for my lost shaker of salt
Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame
But I know, it’s nobody’s fault
“A Pirate Looks at Forty” from A1A (1974)
To be young often means to be reckless, ambitious, adventurous, and even self-centered. But what happens when you get older, when your youth is behind you and you are staring at 40. This song is the anthem for the midlife crisis of any “pirate.” Bad choices and rowdy behavior have to end at some time and this song knows it well. On the song, which has been covered by artists from Jack Johnson to Bob Dylan to Dave Matthews, Buffett sings,
Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call
Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall
You’ve seen it all, you’ve seen it all
Watched the men who rode you, switch from sails to steam
And in your belly, you hold the treasures few have ever seen
Most of ’em dream, most of ’em dream
Yes, I am a pirate, two hundred years too late
The cannons don’t thunder, there’s nothin’ to plunder
I’m an over-forty victim of fate
Arriving too late, arriving too late
“Cheeseburger in Paradise” from Son of a Son of a Sailor (1978)
This song is about going through a stint in your life where you only have the bare essentials, that healthy food is meant to cleanse your body but never appeases your appetite. And then one day your ship comes in (proverbially and literally) and a big, fat cheeseburger with onions and cooked just right comes your way and you can bite into it as if it’s a meal sent to you from heaven. This song is fun and about that moment, more than anything, when you get what you want. The simple pleasures becoming the most worthwhile. On the relatable track, Buffett sings,
Tried to amend my carnivorous habit
Made it nearly 70 days
Losing weight without speed, eating sunflower seeds
Drinking lots of carrot juice and soaking up rays
But at night I’d have these wonderful dreams
Some kind of sensuous treat
Not zucchini fettucini or bulgur wheat
But a big warm bun and a huge hunk of meat
Cheeseburger in paradise
Heaven on Earth with an onion slice
Not too particular, not too precise
I’m just a cheeseburger in paradise
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