Labor Day 2023 wasn’t much of a cause for celebration. On September 1, the man I always equate with the holiday, Jimmy Buffett, died at the age of 76 The cause of his demise was a rare form of skin cancer. I can’t imagine how he managed to be so old. Now he’s gone, and millions of mourners are trying to figure out how their lives will be the same again.
I didn’t know about Jimmy Buffett until the 1980’s. During a trip to Nashville to visit my older brother Dallas, I listened to a CD. It featured some of the artist’s best-known songs. “Margaritaville,” Pencil Thin Mustache,” “Come Monday,” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise” were just a few of the tunes on the recording. Instantly, Jimmy Buffett became a favorite of mine.
Jimmy Buffett’s music wasn’t overly deep. It was open, sincere, and happy. Fans easily learned the words to songs and sang along with them on the radio or at a concert. Amy and I make a yearly pilgrimage to Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Sitting on the beach under an umbrella with a cold drink in hand, I open up my list of iTunes and call up Jimmy. Listening to his music is my way to relax. Not much else in the world matters when those things make up a day or even a whole lifetime.
Plenty of folks have been fans of Jimmy Buffett. They are known as Parrotheads. I wasn’t sure where the name came from, so I googled it. Parrothead originated in Cincinnati when fans attended a concert carrying inflatable parrots and wearing Hawaiian shirts. The affectionate name also refers to people who enjoy a laid-back, beachy lifestyle. I tend to think that some Parrotheads also enjoy the use of medicinal weed. A thick fog of smoke hangs just above fans’ heads at Buffett concerts as they groove to the music.
Jimmy Buffett’s voice is different. In some songs, it has the qualities of an old man like me. It’s not particularly strong and is prone to hitting offkey tones. The music of the songs isn’t necessarily difficult to play. However, the inclusion of a Buleador (Carribean drum) changes what might be just another song into one that takes listeners to the beach and the seaside places.
What makes Jimmy Buffett music so good are the lyrics. “He Went to Paris” tells the story of a man whose life has been filled with tragedies; however, he shrugs off those sad times with the realization that they are parts of life. “The Captain and the Kid” is a loving tribute to his grandfather. The old man had spent his life on the sea. Perhaps that song is true because Buffett, too, seems to have longed for a constant existence that included sand on his feet, salt from the ocean on his skin, and sunlight on his face.
Now, we’re left with a life void of new music from a man who has entertained us for years. We are better for Jimmy Buffett’s life and music. Many of us have managed to calm our nerves and worries by listening to his catalog of songs. Beach trips forever more will be touched with the sting caused by his absence.
Heaven has changed since September 1. I imagine Hawaiian shirts are now the standard attire. All God’s children are gathered on the shore of Heaven’s ocean to eat a wonderful meal of seafood and listen to the soothing, happy melodies that newcomer Jimmy Buffett performs. If we’re lucky, someday we might just have the opportunity to hear him again.
Thank you, Jimmy, for making this sometimes-crazy life a bit more bearable and enjoyable. Find your grandfather and board that boat of his.
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