“Son of a Son of a Sailor”: a paradise of an album

1977 was a busy year for Jimmy Buffett. With “Margaritaville,” his life had changed dramatically, and he had places to be. Buffett would marry his girlfriend of several years, Jane, in Aspen, Colorado, which is where he’d buy property.

He said in 1973’s “My Lovely Lady” that he doesn’t “want the fame that brings confusion, where people recognize you on a plane.”

Flights to Key West had gone from $14,000 in 1974 to over $120,000 in 1976. Buffett still loved the Keys; however, the Keys had changed, becoming more and more of a tourist town. Buffett just wanted to be somewhere quieter. But work never stopped; on his new boat, “Euphoria II, he’d come up with his 1978 album, Son of a Son of a Sailor.

To start this album, I must ask the question: what tastes better than a cheeseburger? A Cheeseburger in Paradise! This is a well-known classic of Buffett’s, with it being a must play at concerts.

We follow how Buffett has been on a no meat diet; he’s been eating sunflower seeds and drinking carrot juice like crazy. However, after nearly 70 days of following it, he broke his diet since at night he has been experiencing magical dreams, dreams of “a big warm bun and a huge hunk of meat.”

This song is funny and the story it tells is entertaining. And to clear the air, this song wasn’t inspired by any restaurant; the name is derived from when a friend called Buffett about it when he was balancing beers on his chest while on his boat. He only told restaurants it was inspired by them to get free food.

“Son of a Son of a Sailor”, the title track, is filled with amazing instrumentals in addition to lyrics that are a mix of Buffett’s family history and a rose tented view of sailing.

A small detail I enjoy throughout the song is the occasional ringing of a ship bell. The story of the song is a duality, with part of it describing how he seeks out adventure “like a man just released from indenture”, but then he does admit it’s not the best lifestyle, and he’s just glad he doesn’t ‘live in a trailer.”

Buffett’s personal history comes from the fact his grandfather, James Delaney Buffett was a captain, hence, Buffett is a son of a son of a sailor.

The song Cowboy in the Jungle has long been a song of Buffet’s that I’ve held dear.

We follow the story of a man who’s out of place, since on his trip to Paraguay, this cowboy got stuck in Porto Bello Panama, where he now spends his time with the sailors.

The song teaches a lesson in how much like the cowboy, we need to be able to roll with the punches and learn to trust in our intuition, because blind ambition can lead us astray.

The final verse reminds us why it’s important to do that, since all we have is, “twenty-four hours, maybe sixty good years, it’s still not that long a stay.”

“Mañana” is a funky introspective song that Buffett uses to look at the past year since Margaritaville came out. At Cane Garden Bay, Buffett recounts everything from the blizzard in Buffalo to the fact he is running low on dope. But he admits that “the new album’s old and I’m fresh out of tunes,” and how things “never seemed to work out the way I had it planned.”

But even with a shortage of ideas, he will always be able to find inspiration through the people and places he meets. In the final line of the song, Buffett, ever the political activist, declares “and I hope Anita Bryant never ever does one of my songs,” in a clear rebuke of her anti-gay campaign and any possible covers she would do of his music. The song has great instrumentals, which are shown in the bridge where Buffett and his band play some reggae music. At a casino in 1970s Duvalier Dynasty Haiti, we follow the story of two gamblers as they bond with each other in “African Friend.” Leaving hastily after the pit boss disapproved of their winning, the narrator wakes up with no memory of what happened before. But a note in his sleeve from his friend speaks of how it was a pleasure to spend the evening together, “but the authorities insist on my leaving, take care my American friend.”

This is a calming song to end the album with, and its story about friendships being important, no matter how long they last, is meaningful.

“The Last Line” is about a song writer who’s ready to write his final song; however, the highlight of the song is the bass riff in the background.

“Livingston Saturday Night” is a fast and hot little tune talking about the crazy night life at a bar in Livingston, Montana, the chaotic environment described is what I imagine Sal’s is like during the weekend.

Lastly, “Coast of Marseilles” is a sad song about how you can’t forget the past and past love. The instrumental of this song is truly beautiful, due in part to the string instruments, harmonica and acoustic guitar.

Despite there being no hit single, “Cheeseburger in Paradise” made it to 32 on the charts and the album did well, reaching number 10 on the Billboard charts and being certified platinum.

Additionally, this newfound star would be selling out shows across the country. Buffett is riding the wave of “Margaritaville,” and there is much more to come in this tour that never really seemed to end.

This is a great album, and it has some of his best songs, though I feel like I say that all the time. Now watch out everyone, I think I just felt the eruption of a “Volcano.”