While doing spring cleaning and rummaging around the house, it’s amazing what things will turn up – like things I never knew I had. Then again, it could be things I completely forgot about buying! So it was that I came across a cd titled Pitch Perfect which was a new version of “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffet. This was a pleasant surprise since I was unaware this came out in 2003. The cd has two tracks, the second one called “Tequila” which Buffet also recorded with the Coral Reefer Band. The new “Margaritaville” edition does have a more distinctly Hispanic flavor with added Spanish lyrics and some ranchero hints. Tequila” on the other hand is an update of the 1958 one-hit-wonder by The Champs. The new version is a little less jazzy, and has more of a zesty, Caribbean tropics sound.
After finding this cd, popping it into my jukebox and grooving along with it – I started thinking more about Buffet and decided to engage in some research to find out just how long he’s been around making music. For some reason I thought he had only been around since the 1980s. Then I found out that “Margaritaville” his biggest hit – actually charted big in 1977! Maybe I thought it was new in 1987-88 because I was too young to remember when it first came out (because I didn’t listen to the radio in 1977) or because when I lived in Key Largo, Florida, in the late 80s it constantly played at every bar, restaurant, and tiki hut, etc. Then again, I was drinking too much back then and didn’t know the difference. Ah! What blurry memories.
In any case, his career has had much more longevity than I ever realized. Buffet cut his first album in 1970 and has had a whopping total of 50 albums, with 29 studio releases among them. Not too shabby at all. Life On The Flip Side and Songs You Don’t Know By Heart are his latest releases, both coming out in 2020. Well, there’s definitely more to research, including his book Tales Of Margaritaville. I remember that being in bookstores and saw it at libraries back in the day (which likely made me think the song was new at the time). Now after all these years I actually want to read it. Apparently he’s also written five other books which makes me think that I’ve missed out on a great deal. I’m very curious about anyone who’s 76 and still making music, performing, and writing after six decades – pretty impressive stuff! Pitcher Perfect is a cool addition to a 2023 summer playlist and can be found at ://www.discogs.com
