Songs You Know by Heart: Jimmy Buffett's Greatest Hit(s)

Performer: Jimmy Buffett
Producer: Don Gant; Norbert Putnam
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Includes liner notes by Tom McGuane. Personnel includes: Jimmy Buffett (vocals). Includes liner notes by Tom McGuane. Digitally remastered by Glenn Meadows (Mastersonics). This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Personnel: Jimmy Buffett (vocals, guitar). Liner Note Author: Tom McGuane. Photographer: Jim Shea. Half of Jimmy Buffett's career has consisted of portraying himself as the quintessential one-hit wonder. Even the title of this greatest hits collection, SONG(S) YOU KNOW BY HEART, plays off this misperception with winking parentheses. In reality, by the time of this collection in 1985, Jimmy Buffett had recorded over 16 albums, was one of the most popular U.S. concert attractions, and had a legion of rabid fans known as Parrotheads. He had also had four Top 40 hits besides "Margaritaville," all of which, plus other fan favorites, are present here. Buffett certainly knows how to craft an enjoyable pop song. The lyrics to "Volcano" are childish and nonsensical, and those of "Cheeseburger in Paradise" are certifiably cheeky, but both are eminently fun and hummable. "Pencil Thin Moustache," his ode to the earnestness of old black-and-white movies, is a forgotten treasure. When Buffett does get serious, he can write a flat-out beautiful song--"Come Monday," his first major hit, stands out as a highlight of the singer/songwriter era.

Entertainment Weekly (8/4/95, pp.54-56) - "...remains the only Buffett album for outsiders, a collection of clever, hummable folk rock with just the right amounts of self-deprecation, boat-pier pensiveness, and singer-songwriter homilies..." - Rating: B Entertainment Weekly (8/4/95, pp.54-56) - "...remains the only Buffett album for outsiders, a collection of clever, hummable folk rock with just the right amounts of self-deprecation, boat-pier pensiveness, and singer-songwriter homilies..." - Rating: B

A genuine American original, Key West troubadour Buffett mixed Hank Williams with Xavier Cugat, and in the process introduced Caribbean rhythms to the staid musical denizens of Nashville. After a stretch in the basic (yet eclectic) singer-songwriter vein yielded a 1974 hit ballad "Come Monday," Buffett found his trademark mellow Key West groove and the 1977 hit ("Margaritaville") that would launch a cottage industry which even included a restaurant chain. While the singer often played up his one-hit wonder status, he has enjoyed a long, storied and varied career, as well as the enduring loyalty of his fans, otherwise known as "parrotheads." A 2004 star-studded country album brought him a surprise chart-topper and even more fans.

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