Jimmy Buffett Album: “Songs You Know by Heart: Jimmy Buffett's Greatest”

No one of has made a bigger career for themselves out of one hit than Jimmy Buffett. He transformed his only top ten single, "Margaritaville", from just a mere song, into a successful restaurant, clothing line, a brand of tequilas and inspired a way of live for a nation of Parrotheads. Even though "Margaritaville" is his biggest hit, he is by no means a one hit wonder. In fact that song isn't even his best. Songs like "A Pirate Looks At 40", "Son Of A Son Of A Sailor", "He Went To Paris" & "Come Monday" are all superior songs and the rest of the album is made up of similarly excellent songs. If you are a novice to the music of Jimmy Buffett, this is the place to start.

SONGS YOU KNOW BY HEART contains most of the Jimmy Buffett songs that anyone knows, including such tales of a life spent outdoors as "Cheeseburger In Paradise", "Fins", "Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes", and his all-time biggest hit, "Margaritaville." There are also sentimental straight-ahead country ballads here, including the searching "He Went To Paris" and the wistful "Come Monday." If that wasn't enough diversity for one CD/cassette, there's also the drinking song "Why Don't We Get Drunk (And Screw)" and the detective story "Pencil Thin Mustache." If you get this collection, plus a few of his other albums, you'll have an essential library of Jimmy Buffett.

When I finally caved in and admitted, after months of fighting it for no reason I can remember, that "yes, I love Jimmy Buffett," the first album I picked up was this one, and it's the one that seemed to be playing at every fraternity house in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Virginia. You're also pretty much guaranteed to hear all these songs when you see Jimmy in concert. ("Southern Cross," though, which is a modern concert staple, Jimmy only finally recorded in the last few years, and is on his latest live album, "Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays,"... It's a distinctly lesser album, though.)

If you've been exposed to any of Jimmy's music at all, these are the songs you know by heart, whether as staples of light rock -- "Margaritaville" and "Come Monday" -- frat rock singalong -- "Why Don't We Get Drunk (And Screw)" and "Cheeseburger in Paradise" -- or from just listening to them as you blast along the highway, window down, nose raised trying to catch that whiff of salt water off coming from over the horizon.

Once this album is in hand, though, this introduction to Jimmy's body of work inevitably leads to finding albums that feature more of the types of music the fans like. For me, that's more stuff like "Barometer Soup" and "Son of a Son of a Sailor," which are more of Jimmy's stories set to music, rather than his singalongs.

But for the casual fan, this is a great album.

(Now, if you already know you love all these songs, and have just been listening to a friend's/roommate's/significant other's copy of "Songs You Know By Heart," break down and get the Australian import "All the Great Hits,"e:...It features allthe same songs,plus a few more, most notably the rocking "LastMango in Paris" and the expatriate's theme song "Banana Republics." I traded "Songs You Know By Heart" in for "All the Great Hits" some time ago, and never looked back.)

Now since I was little, i'd say about 6, i have been listening to Jimmy Buffett. My Grandfather listened to him when he sailed the Atlantic then my mom listened to him when she was growing up. My whole family lsitened to Buffett growing up. This CD is what i have listened to since I was 6 and there is no better way to be introduced to the smooth, layed back, island siging, genius Jimmy Buffett. The music on this CD just takes you away for a while and puts you into a good mood and reminds you to enjoy life. Some of my fav. songs include 'changes in lattitudes, changes in attitudes', ' Valcano', 'Fins', and of course ' Margaritaville'. But this CD is a Deff. buy and i would also recomend his live album entitled "Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays" another favorite.

Jimmy Buffett is more of a state of mind then an artist...but if that is true, I want to have part of the state of mind! He seems like a guy who is always having fun. But to tell you the truth, I like all of the songs on here except track #9 (check the listing yourself! ) Some of the better songs are those like "Son of a Son of a Sailor" and "A Pirate Looks At 40" that have more profound messages than, "there's booze in the blender"! I also like the reminiscent "Pencil Thin Mustache" that describes a guy looking back at the way it used to be! All in all, this is a great album! Congratulations Jimmy on the world-class party album!