Throwing back to the week of September 6, 2003, we find Nelly, P. Diddy, and Murphy Lee at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Shake Ya Tailfeather,’ a song from the soundtrack of Bad Boys II.
This song spent four weeks at #1 and a total of 30 weeks on the chart. It includes a sample of the Florida State Seminoles’ stadium chant, a nice nod to the state where Bad Boys II is set, but about seven hours from the city (Miami).
Jimmy Buffett’s most enduring classic, and his only top ten hit, is more than just a song. ‘Margaritaville’ is a state of being, a way of life. It launched a chain of restaurants, resorts, and even retirement communities. It’s in the title of a satellite radio station and a Broadway show.
But before any of that, it was just a song. And it’s one of the greatest songs ever, if you ask me.
Jimmy Buffett has written plenty of good time party songs, but my favorites are the sad ones. He has a way with a melancholy ballad, and often finds a way to give even upbeat material a strain of sorrow.
‘He Went to Paris’ is a highlight of Buffett’s 1973 album A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean, a record that leans more to the country side of his genre spectrum. It’s about the life of musician/artist Eddie Balchowsky, a war veteran who also shows up in songs by several other artists.
‘Fins’ appears on Jimmy Buffett’s ninth studio album, 1979’s Volcano. This is one of his most popular songs, though it made it to only #35 on the Hot 100. Buffett has never been huge on the charts, despite having one of the most fervent fan bases in popular music.
This song is about a midwestern woman who heads to the islands for escape only to find herself preyed upon by lascivious men, characterized as “sharks that can swim on the land.” It is one of eight songs Buffett played at just about every one of his many concert performances.
I don’t know how many artists have written at least two songs that inspired restaurants, but such is the appeal of Jimmy Buffett. I’ll get to his most famous brand later this week, but today I’ll celebrate ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise.’
This song appeared on 1978’s Son of a Son of a Sailor and reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 as the album’s first single. It later became track one on the smash greatest hits collection Songs You Know By Heart.
Meet Me In Montauk 