“Living and Dying 3/4 Time”: Buffett’s fourth studio album

“A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean” didn’t break the box office, but it performed decently.

It was decent enough that Buffett was able to buy himself a boat where he could go sailing away.

But, before Buffett could sail away and make no landfall, he had a contractual obligation to make a second album.

Putting a hold on sailing away to islands, Buffett went back to the recording studio with his ragtag band, creating another hit-filled album, 1974’s “Living and Dying in ¾ Time” (we’ll discuss that title in more detail at a later date).

The album starts with the 1950s nostalgia trip that is “Pencil Thin Mustache.”

By the mid 70s, Buffett, who was in his mid-20s, was missing those old days when he was young (or, younger).

He reminisces about writing fan letters to his childhood crush, he wishes that he could have memorabilia from this youth, like “a two-toned Ricky Ricardo jacket and an autographed picture of Andy Devine,” but above all else, he wants a pencil thing mustache, “the Boston Blackie kind.”

This is a song about growing up too fast and longing for a simpler time, something we all experience.

This is one of the first songs I remember hearing from Buffett, and for good reason.

It’s an energizing, engaging and overall fun song to listen to.

The song makes you smirk at how Buffett is nostalgic for back in the day when “only jazz musicians were smoking marijuana.”

The song closes with, “Brylcreem, a little dab’ll do yah,” a reference to the old jingle of the Brylcreem Shaving Cream, a little tune that’s impossible not to sing to.

10/10, another outstanding Jimmy Buffett classic.

Touring the country, playing music is the life for most musicians; however, in 1973, while touring in Los Angles, Buffett would find himself in a lonesome place.

The touring life isn’t for the faint of heart, especially when it means being away from home and those who mean the most to you.

“Come Monday” is one of Buffett’s most pivotal songs; written in San Francisco, it tells the story of Buffett’s girlfriend and future wife, Jane Buffett.

The song is a simple love song, speaking of how he’s, “spent four lonely days in a brown L.A. haze and I just want you back by my side.”

The song’s meaning is just as beautiful as its instrumentals and is always a delight to listen to, truly an amazing song.

“Pencil Thin Mustache” and “Come Monday” were the highlights of the album, but there are a multitude of good songs on this album.

“The Wino and I Know” details some of Buffett’s earlier musical experiences in New Orleans, from the lows of getting a scar from “an old man so tattered and torn,” to eating a few too many donuts at the Café du Monde.

The chorus describes Buffett’s life as a “strange situation, wild occupation,” but he is living his “life like a song,” something I aspire to do.

“Ringling, Ringling” is about Ringling, Montana, a small town that’s seen better days.

With, “only forty people livin’ there today,” the streets are dusty and even the church is abandoned.

It is a pretty good song, with a nice guitar and funny lyrics; it makes a funny situation out of that, “dyin’ little town,” which disappears just as soon as it appears.

When recounting his musical career in “Saxophones,” Buffett says that, though he loves rock n’ roll, the acoustic guitar was the only way he could make it.

Although traveling around is going well, he still isn’t a big star, with Buffet explaining how “they won’t play my record in my old hometown.”

Buffett diagnoses the problem by saying that that what he’s missing is a saxophone, with there being a quiet bass riff in the middle of the chorus, where the saxophone would play if he had one.

It is a very entertaining song to listen to, with the whole premise of the song being laughable.

Luckily, the song has an instrumental section that’s filled with some saxophone blues, so hopefully Buffett finally “could get some recognition from that Mobile, Alabama DJ.”

There are a few other good songs I’ve failed to mention, such as “West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown” and “Ballad of Spider John.”

It’s important to highlight how this album, though not a big hit, was the best success Buffett had seen yet, with it reaching #176 on Billboards charts, which was big enough to get Buffett some recognition.

As I said, “Come Monday” was a pivotal song for Buffett, it would become a breakout hit for Buffett, reaching the height of number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

It would remain on the charts for many weeks, with “Pencil Thin Mustache” performing well on the charts too.

With the success of these songs, Buffett was becoming a well-known figure, with a growing cult-like following among a small, but growing group of people.

As for what’s next, I’ll direct your attention South to Florida’s own A1A highway.