One Particular Harbour (song)

Last updated

"One Particular Harbour"
Single by Jimmy Buffett
from the album One Particular Harbour
B-side "Distantly in Love"
ReleasedOctober 1983
Recorded1983
Genre Pop rock, [1] country, Gulf and Western
Label MCA
Songwriter(s) Jimmy Buffett, Bobby Holcomb
Producer(s) Jimmy Buffett, Michael Utley
Jimmy Buffett singles chronology
"I Don't Know (Spicoli's Theme)"
(1982)
"One Particular Harbour"
(1983)
"Brown Eyed Girl"
(1983)
Audio sample

"One Particular Harbour" [2] is a song performed by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was written by Jimmy Buffett and Hawaiian-born Tahitian musician Bobby Holcomb and released as a single (b/w "Distantly In Love") on MCA 52298 in October 1983.

Contents

It was first released on his 1983 album One Particular Harbour and reached No. 22 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

The song begins with lyrics in Tahitian:

Ia ora te natura
E mea arofa teie ao nei

The translation given is:

"Nature lives (life to nature)
Have pity for the Earth (Love the Earth)"

It concludes with the same verse plus:

Ua pau te maitai no te fenua
Re zai noa ra te ora o te mitie

This is translated as:

"Bounty of the land is exhausted
But there's still abundance on the sea."

Buffett has said in radio interviews about the song that he wrote it while travelling the islands and that he was moved to write it one afternoon during his journeys, as he sat on the balcony of his hotel room watching the local children (memorialized in the lyric "Where children play on the shore each day").

"One Particular Harbour" is one of Buffett's more popular songs with fans, and was played at almost all of his concerts. Recorded live versions of the song appear on Feeding Frenzy , Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays , and the video Live by the Bay . Two recordings are included on the 2007 release Live in Anguilla : once in full concert mode at the Dune Preserve beach bar and another the day before in an impromptu "unplugged" concert on the beach. While visiting Tahiti in 1983, Buffett recorded a music video for the song with assistance from the film crew for the film The Bounty, including the ship used in the film and Mel Gibson's character costume. [3]

It is often performed with extensive steel drum played by the Coral Reefer Band's pannist Robert Greenidge.

Chart performance

Chart (1983)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks22
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks4

Notes

  1. One Particular Harbour sheet music
  2. The song title is spelled with the British spelling harbour even in U.S. releases.
  3. "- YouTube". YouTube .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Buffett</span> American singer-songwriter and businessman (1946–2023)

James William Buffett was an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He was best known for his tropical rock music, which often portrays a lifestyle described as "island escapism". Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett recorded hit songs known as "The Big 8", which he played at every show: "Margaritaville" (1977), which is ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of "Songs of the Century", "Come Monday" (1974), "Fins" (1979), "Volcano" (1979), "A Pirate Looks at Forty" (1974), "Cheeseburger in Paradise" (1978), "Why Don't We Get Drunk" (1973), and "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" (1977). His other popular songs include "Son of a Son of a Sailor" (1978), "One Particular Harbour" (1983), and "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" (2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaritaville</span> 1977 single by Jimmy Buffett

"Margaritaville" is a 1977 song by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett from the album Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. This song was written about a drink Buffett discovered at Lung's Cocina del Sur restaurant at 2700 W. Anderson Lane, Ste 101, in Austin, Texas, and the first huge surge of tourists who descended on Key West, Florida, around that time. He wrote most of the song one night at a friend's house in Austin, and finished it while spending time in Key West. In the United States "Margaritaville" reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and went to number one on the Easy Listening chart, also peaking at No. 13 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Billboard ranked it number 14 on its 1977 Pop Singles year-end chart. It was Buffett's highest charting solo single.

<i>Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads</i> 1992 box set by Jimmy Buffett

Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads is a four disc compilation box set of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band's greatest hits, rarities, and previously unreleased songs. Released in 1992, the collection reached quadruple platinum.

"A Pirate Looks at Forty" is a song written and performed by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was first released on his 1974 album A1A and "Presents to Send You" is the B-side of the single.

"Why Don't We Get Drunk" is a novelty song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was a B-side to "The Great Filling Station Holdup", the first single from his 1973 album A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean. The song is a fan favorite, and until the 2007 Bama Breeze tour, was almost always performed at Buffett's live concerts.

<i>A1A</i> (album) 1974 studio album by Jimmy Buffett

A1A or A-1-A is the fifth studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and the third major label album in Buffett's Don Gant-produced "Key West phase." It was initially released in December 1974 as Dunhill DS-50183 and later re-released on Dunhill's successor labels ABC and MCA.

<i>High Cumberland Jubilee</i> 1971 studio album by Jimmy Buffett

High Cumberland Jubilee is the second studio album by American popular-music singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was produced by Travis Turk, released in 1971 on Andy Williams's small Barnaby Records label. This was second album that Buffett recorded, and was his final album with Barnaby, signing next with Dunhill. Following lackluster sales of Buffett's first album, Down to Earth, Barnaby Records would claim that the masters to High Cumberland Jubilee had been lost, hence it has been referred to as Buffett's "lost album." In 1976, after Buffett had left Barnaby and moved to Key West, released numerous additional albums, and become a star, the masters were finally found and the album released.

Jimmy Buffett sound board live albums are a series of live albums by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett recorded directly from the sound board without further editing thus resembling bootleg recordings. The albums were recorded at various concerts throughout the United States and represent typical Buffett live shows of their era with most of the albums recorded during Buffett's 2003 Tiki Time Tour. They have been released on compact disc on Buffett's own Mailboat Records distributed by RCA.

<i>Live in Auburn, WA</i> 2003 live album by Jimmy Buffett

Live in Auburn is a live album by the American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and is one of number of Jimmy Buffett sound board live albums recorded directly from the mixing console without further editing, thus resembling bootleg recordings.

Robert Greenidge is a steelpan player. He is a member of popular music singer Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band and the instrumental group Club Trini. Greenidge has also collaborated with artists such as Robert Palmer, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Taj Mahal, Ringo Starr, Earth, Wind & Fire and Carly Simon.

<i>Live by the Bay</i> 1986 film

Live by the Bay is a 1986 direct-to-video concert film of American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band. It was released in 1986 by MCA Entertainment. The 87-minute film was recorded from back to back concerts in Miami, Florida on August 16 and 17, 1985, at Miami Marine Stadium and is the first concert video released by Buffett. Miami Vice star Don Johnson introduced Buffett to the crowd. A brief rain shower during the middle of the Friday night show prompted Buffett to retreat to his sailboat and caused a majority of the final video release to feature the Saturday night show. After the rain cleared on Friday, the band played Little Feat's "Dixie Chicken" to demonstrate the equipment still functioned before Buffett returned to the stage.

<i>One Particular Harbour</i> 1983 studio album by Jimmy Buffett

One Particular Harbour is the twelfth studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released in September 1983 as MCA 5447 and was produced by Buffett and Michael Utley. It was Buffett's first involvement producing an album. "Stars on the Water" was written by and a minor hit for country music songsmith Rodney Crowell and also covered by Texan country music singer George Strait on his 2001 album, The Road Less Traveled.

<i>Feeding Frenzy: Jimmy Buffett Live!</i> 1990 live album by Jimmy Buffett

Feeding Frenzy: Jimmy Buffett Live! is a live album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was initially released in October 1990 as MCA 10022. It is the second of Buffett's many live albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pencil Thin Mustache</span> 1974 song by Jimmy Buffett

"Pencil Thin Mustache" is a song written and performed by American popular-music singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released as a single on Dunhill D-15011 in August 1974. It was first released on his album of 1974, Living and Dying in ¾ Time. It just missed the Billboard Hot 100 at number 1 on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, and reached number 44 on the Easy Listening chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fins (song)</span> 1979 single by Jimmy Buffett

"Fins" is a song performed by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was written by Buffett, Coral Reefer Band members Deborah McColl and Barry Chance, and author Tom Corcoran. It was released as a single on MCA 41109 in July 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcano (Jimmy Buffett song)</span> 1979 single by Jimmy Buffett

"Volcano" is a song performed by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was written by Jimmy Buffett, Keith Sykes, and Harry Dailey and released as a single on MCA 41161 in November 1979. The song was first released on his 1979 album Volcano and reached No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as peaking at No. 43 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Holcomb</span> American artist and musician

Bobby Holcomb (1947–1991) was an artist and musician who wrote popular Polynesian tunes.

"Boat Drinks" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released as a B-side on MCA in 1979. Despite not being a single, it is one of his most popular songs, frequently played in concert and occasionally on the radio.

<i>Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays</i> 1999 live album by Jimmy Buffett

Buffett Live – Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays is a live album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released on November 9, 1999. The album's material was culled from several concerts during the Don't Stop That Carnival Tour (1998) and Beach House on the Moon Tour (1999). It was the first live album by Buffett since Feeding Frenzy was released in October 1990 and Mailboat Records' debut release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">God's Own Drunk</span> 2011 single by Jimmy Buffett

"God's Own Drunk" is a monologue by Lord Buckley that musicians have since adapted into different types of songs; most notably, Jimmy Buffett, who first recorded his rendition for Living and Dying in ¾ Time and has since released a digital download single of a live performance in 2011. Buffett's version was a concert staple and even regarded as his theme before "Margaritaville"'s popularity, until he was forced to stop playing it after being sued by Buckley's son, Dick Buckley Jr., for copyright infringement.