Walking With Ankylosing Spondylitis and Jimmy Buffett
I love playlists. I have a library of about 3,000 songs, mostly classic rock (I am an old guy, remember), pop, country, and some modern rock. I love putting music in playlists. But I especially love putting on my headphones, grabbing my walking poles, and off I go.
Since today is a warm day, I enjoy picking songs that remind me of the beach. One of my favorite ways to do this is to put on Jimmy Buffett. I am proud to say I have attended a few Jimmy Buffett concerts, and while I am not a devoted Parrott Head, I am certainly one of the many great admirers.
What I enjoy best about my playlist is the backstories of the songs. I think these stories make listening so much more enjoyable. So here is Jimmy Buffett playlist number 4 with some remarkable stories, most of which are legends, and all repeated by Wikipedia, which we must remember is not an authoritative source.
Warming up
You know, warming up is an integral part of any workout. Walking is no different. My music during warm-up must be familiar and start a little slow, building to the main part, which is the workout.
- Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes – Jimmy Buffett From Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes: Single
- Cheeseburger in Paradise – Jimmy Buffett From Son of a Son of a Sailor
- Come Monday – Jimmy Buffett From Living & Dying in ¾ Time
All these songs are classic Jimmy Buffett. Jimmy Buffett describes these as those songs they must play, or the fans will kill him. The number changes as familiar songs are added or deleted. But these three have always been part of the lineup.
Come Monday was Buffett's first hit, and the video has an interesting story. According to Buffett, the video was filmed with almost no money. It included a video of his girlfriend, an aspiring model who agreed to be in the video for nothing. Jane Slagsvol is now his wife of over 40 years. Check out this terrific video where Jimmy Buffett explains how the Come Monday Video was filmed.
Stepping out
In this part of my song list, I get things going. Fast is the way this playlist is set up, and Jimmy Buffet offers a plethora of options. For this playlist, I could have simply relied on the big 12 songs. But I do not want my playlist getting out of hand.
- Livingston Saturday Night – Jimmy Buffett From Son of a Son of a Sailor
- Pencil Thin Mustache – Jimmy Buffet From Living and Dying in ¾ Time
- Volcano- Jimmy Buffett, Keith Sykes, and Harry Dailey From Volcano
- Boat drinks – Jimmy Buffett From B side single of Survive
- Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffet From Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
- Fins – Jimmy Buffett, Deborah McColl, Barry Chance, Tom Corcoran From Volcano
I decided to start with Livingston Saturday Night, which appeared in a terrible film titled FM, with terrific songs. It is fast; a perfect way to begin.
One of the more interesting and familiar songs on my list is Volcano. Volcano was recorded on the island of Montserrat at the studio of Associated Independent Recording. Hurricane Hugo later destroyed the studio, and the song was written about the Soufrière Hills Volcano. The Volcano later erupted causing considerable damage. If you have ever been to a Buffett concert, it is one of the best audience participation songs in the set.
My favorite song in this set is Boat Drinks. The song was written in Boston, where Jimmy Buffett was caught in a long winter storm wishing he were back in a warmer climate. It is said he needed a cab and took one he found running with no driver. He drove it to his hotel, abandoned the cab but left $20 for the fare. My favorite line is
"I put three bullets in the freezer,
I think I got cabin fever,
Somebody sound the alarm"
I have a chuckle thinking of the legend of Elvis shooting a television in Las Vegas because each time he saw Robert Goulet appear. I do not know if Jimmy Buffett thought of that when he wrote the lyric, but I like to imagine so.
Fins is another great audience favorite. It is often preceded by a few bars of the infamous shark song from Jaws. I love making the fins-up gesture in concert. This amounts to placing your hand on your head palm up and moving your hand to the left or right as the song tells the story of a woman who runs into a bar serving the local fishermen and sailors. As I walk, I recall the many times I have followed the audience lead and bet right or left as the song says fins to the left or fins to the right.
Wind down
Unfortunately, everything must end, as does my Jimmy Buffett playlist. Each time I play this, my walk gets faster and faster. But when I get to the final two songs, I wind it down. There is not a lot of good transition music in the Buffett playlist. One is either going fast or is crawling along. So, I picked two of my favorite slower songs, one with a terrific singer performing the Female voice.
- He Went To Paris – Jimmy Buffett From A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean
- Son Of Son Of A Sailor – Jimmy Buffett From Son of a Son of a Sailor
Son of a Son of a Sailor was the opening track of the album of the same name. What I love about this song is hearing the female lead, Nadirah Shakoor, sing. She has such a strong, powerful voice and is a fan favorite in concert. This song was performed by Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer band on their only Saturday Night Live appearance on May 13, 1978.
Great music keeps my mind from obsessing about pain, and these songs help me move. Will this cure Ankylosing Spondylitis? No, it will not. Will it help me avoid ruminating about pain or loss? Yes, it does.
Do you have a Jimmy Buffet playlist? If not, what is on your favorite playlist? Do you like curated playlists? Let me know. I have several playlists I love, but I am an old guy, so mine may seem like ancient music to others.
References
Note on all references; I used Wikipedia as the primary source of reference. In some cases, I know the fact. However, I do not know how or why I knew it. Because of how Wikipedia collects material, It is essential to disclose that Wikipedia is not considered a credible reference for any academic paper. However, this is a fun playlist, so I hope you find it would be entertaining. But do not use these facts in academic work. Reference number is not from Wikipedia. It is pure legend regarded as a fact. But I so hope it is real.
Community Poll
Have you taken our In America Survey yet?
Join the conversation