March 26, 2021 —– Chart #84
Hello Musical Friends,
It’s Friday and we have been in lockdown for a year now. Whew! After a bitter freezemageddon the weather is showing signs of good things to come. This time of year my cabin fever is reaching a tipping point so today I could not think of a better tune than today’s chart of the day to recalibrate our collective attitudes.
“Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” is a song written and recorded by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released as a single (b/w “Landfall”) on ABC Dunhill 12305 in August 1977. It was first released on his 1977 album by the same name. It reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 24 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and number 11 on the Easy Listening chart.
This song begins with an instrumental introduction which initially resembles the chorus of “Yellow Bird” (originally a 19th-century Haitian song, which gained popularity in the U.S. through a Hawaiian-flavored instrumental by the Arthur Lyman group in 1961), and then it evolves into the distinctive chorus of this song itself. Billboard described the song as using “sailing and sun -drenched island imagery” and “catchy, Caribbean instrumentation” while having a “more serious tone” than Buffett’s previous single “Margaritaville.”
The phrase “and son of a bitches” was edited out of the single version of the song, replaced by “some bruises, some stitches”. Although American Top 40 did play the original unedited version only once when it debuted at No. 38 on 10/22/77. “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” is one of Buffett’s more popular songs with fans, and is part of “The Big 8” that he has played at almost all of his concerts. Recorded live versions of the song appear on You Had to Be There, and the video Live by the Bay.
As most of you know, I am a die-hard Parrothead, a fan for over 40 years. Many of you may cringe at the prospect of playing Margaritaville at a gig, but not me. I consider that song a personal anthem worthy of any place, any time!
James William Buffett (born on December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, actor, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an “island escapism” lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett has recorded hit songs including “Margaritaville” (ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America’s list of “Songs of the Century”) and “Come Monday”. He has a devoted base of fans known as “Parrotheads”.
Aside from his career in music, Buffett is also a bestselling author and was involved in two restaurant chains named after two of his best-known songs; he currently owns the Margaritaville Cafe restaurant chain and co-developed the now defunct Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chain. Buffett is one of the world’s richest musicians, with a net worth of $550 million. Not bad for Pascagoula, Mississippi son of a son of a sailor. Just sayin’
Almost 40 years later, still a party: https://youtu.be/Apu3HRjSpu4
Keep rockin’ my friends,
Stan