by John Hoty

Created on: March 01, 2008

Love him or hate him, Jimmy Buffett's legacy is an undeniably universal truth. From humble beginnings as a Bourbon Street minstrel to his world famous Margaritaville empire, Mr. Buffett has introduced his own sound - "Caribbean Soul" - into the realm of pop music by blending blue collar fantasy with white collar possibilities over the last 30 years. No other performer living or dead can be likened to Buffett's down home charms and Everyman persona - reflected peerlessly on every album he has recorded. He's a little Mark Twain... a dash of Gordon Lightfoot... perhaps a teaspoon of Bob Marley... and just a dash of Don Ho... Put 'em all together in a blender with a few spritzes of Jose Cuervo and some lime juice and you have a singer-songwriter so original, so revered and so adored by his legion of highly devoted fans - dubbed "Parrot Heads" for their colorfully tropical concert wear - that he stands in a category all his own.

The following is a list of Mr. Buffett's best songs for anyone who has yet to discover his albums, or for those who only know his commercial successes...

HAVANA DAYDREAMIN' - This is the song that best showcases Buffett's songwriting capabilities. A mellow reverie that sucks us in from the opening chords and lyrics: "He stashed his trash in Ecuador, bought a good suit of clothes/Flew on up to Mexico, standing by the shore..." It's a story from the get-go; something Buffett does very, very well. The whole song drifts on an infectious riff of guitar chords and soft percussion, all the while casting us far off into a world of island misadventure...

I HEARD I WAS IN TOWN - Buffett was always humored by the pervasive rumors of his "presence" in Key West, Florida. It's no secret that Key West was Jimmy's home away from home at the time of this song's conception, but to hear of his fictional shenanigans making Happy Hour headlines around town made for great songwriting fodder. This tune has all of Buffett's early signature sounds and lyrics as he laments on a time and a place that carried on best when he actually wasn't around.

BANANA REPUBLICS - Penned by dear friend Steve Goodman ("City of New Orleans"), this melancholy observation of the island way of life is a must-hear for anyone just discovering Buffett's work. Backed by the lazy acoustic chords and Jimmy's drunk-under-a-palm-tree vocals, "Banana Republics" wastes no time putting you in the time and place of the story at hand. A lovely poem from start to finish.

TRYING TO REASON WITH HURRICANE

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