1978 - February: Jimmy Buffett — “Son of a Son of a Sailor”

This podcast goes out to all the Parrot heads out there.  Son of a Son of a Sailor is the eighth studio album by Jimmy Buffett, and is the follow-up to his breakout album “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes.”  This is Buffett's highest charting album of the 70's, peaking at number 10 in the U.S. Jimmy Buffett was born on Christmas Day, 1946, in Pascagoula, Mississippi.  He lived in Mobile and Fairhope, Alabama growing up, and began playing guitar at Auburn.  He recorded a country album and went to work at Billboard Magazine in Nashville briefly after college, then moved to Key West to serve as the first mate on the Petticoat III yacht.  He would also develop what would become his genre of music while in Key West amongst the sea going vessels.Buffett discovered the profit in touring early, and his focus would turn to live shows as well as other business ventures.  Jimmy Buffett is supposedly worth around $550 million today, making him one of the richest musicians in the world.If you're wondering where the term “Parrot Head” comes from, Buffett made a comment in a 1985 concert in Cincinnati about the fans wearing Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats who returned to his concerts again and again.  A member of the Coral Reefer Band coined the term "Parrot Head" as a nod to the Dead Heads who followed the Grateful Dead on tour and the name stuck.Bruce brings this Caribbean-infused music this week. Son of a Son of a Sailor<br />This title track opens the album, and was inspired by Buffett's grandfather, James Delaney Buffett.  Jimmy Buffett saw a picture of his grandfather standing on the docks in Nova Scotia where his grandfather grew up.  He settled as an adult in Mobile, Alabama, and hadn't returned to Nova Scotia until he was 84.  The picture showed him looking at an old ailing schooner, and the lyrics reflect looking back on a sailing life and family.Mañana<br />Supposedly this song is about things Buffett did in a week he spent living on his boat in the British Virgin Islands.  Mañana means “tomorrow” in Spanish, and can be a term for putting things off indefinitely.Livingston Saturday Night<br />This is a song about going for a night on the town.  It was used in a movie called “Rancho Deluxe,” released in 1975 starring Jeff Bridges and Sam Waterston playing cattle rustlers in Livingston Montana.  It also appeared in the 1978 movie "FM."Cheeseburger in Paradise<br />Here's the big hit from the album.  It reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, and is the lead song from Buffett's greatest hits album.  The lyrics describe a guy trying to eat healthy, but who can't resist the temptation of the cheeseburger.  The song itself was inspired by an event where Buffett was caught out in the Caribbean on a boat with a broken icebox, where he had to live for several days off canned food and peanut butter. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Theme to the motion picture “Which Way Is Up?” by Stargard<br />This comedy starring Richard Pryor was a remake of an Italian comedy from 1972 called “The Seduction of Mimi.” STAFF PICKS:Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads <br />Wayne's staff pick is straight from the CBGB club in Now York City, and is the first "hit" from the Punk/Alternative/New Wave band.  While it didn't make it into the top 40, it did crack the top 100.  The lyrics represent the thoughts of a serial killer who has already killed and probably will not stop.What's Your Name by Lynyrd Skynyrd<br />Rob features a song written by Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington inspired by a time when the band was drinking at a hotel ba