Volcano (Jimmy Buffett song)

Last updated

"Volcano"
Volcano germ.jpg
West German single picture sleeve [1]
Single by Jimmy Buffett
from the album Volcano
B-side "Stranded on a Sandbar"
ReleasedNovember 1979
RecordedMay 1979
Genre
Length3:37
Label MCA
Songwriter(s) Jimmy Buffett, Keith Sykes, Harry Dailey
Producer(s) Norbert Putnam
Jimmy Buffett singles chronology
"Dreamsicle"
(1979)
"Volcano"
(1979)
"Survive"
(1979)
Audio sample

"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 (b/w "Stranded on a Sandbar") 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.

Contents

Background

The song was written in a calypso/reggae style, [2] The song and album are named for the then-dormant Soufrière Hills volcano on the island of Montserrat in the British West Indies where Buffett recorded the album in May 1979 at AIR Studios. [3] The studio was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Soufrière Hills erupted again in 1995.

The lyrics describe the narrator's anxiety about his possible whereabouts following the impending eruption of a volcano. The bridge before the final chorus mentions a number of place names, some important largely in the context of 1979:

But I don't want to land in New York City,

I don't want to land in Mexico.
I don't want to land on no Three Mile Island,
I don't want to see my skin a-glow.

Don't want to land in Comanche Skypark,
or in Nashville, Tennessee.
I don't want to land in no San Juan Airport
or the Yukon Territory.

Don't want to land no San Diego.
Don't want to land in no Buzzards Bay.
I don't want to land on no Ayatollah.

I got nothin' more to say.

Cash Box said that the song "is flavorful and timely, with lots of offbeat references." [4] Record World said that "The Carribean ambience runs from the pervasive percussion to the sparkling bass pipes." [5]

"Volcano" is one of Buffett's more popular songs with fans, and is part of "The Big 8" that he 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 . The placenames in the final bridge were often altered in concert to reflect more recent news. The song was also re-recorded and released for Rock Band on June 3, 2008, with the last two lines listed above changed to, "I want to be a couch potato / Just play Rock Band everyday."

Chart performance

Chart (1979)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [6] 66
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks [7] 43
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks1

Related Research Articles

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

James William Buffett was an American singer-songwriter. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapism" and promoted enjoying life and following passions. Buffett recorded many hit songs known as "The Big 8": "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" with Alan Jackson (2003). Buffett formed the Coral Reefer Band in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plymouth, Montserrat</span> Ghost town in Montserrat

Plymouth is a ghost town and the de jure capital of the island of Montserrat, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom located in the Leeward Island chain of the Lesser Antilles, West Indies. It is the only ghost town that is the capital of a modern political territory.

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

"Margaritaville" is a 1977 song by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, released on his seventh album, Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. 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. After Buffett’s death on September 1, 2023, the song re-entered the Top 40 for the week ending September 16, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soufrière Hills</span> Volcano on Montserrat in the Caribbean

The Soufrière Hills are an active, complex stratovolcano with many lava domes forming its summit on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. After a long period of dormancy, the Soufrière Hills volcano became active in 1995 and has continued to erupt ever since. Its eruptions have rendered more than half of Montserrat uninhabitable, destroying the capital city, Plymouth, and causing widespread evacuations: about two-thirds of the population have left the island. Chances Peak in the Soufrière Hills was the highest summit on Montserrat until the mid-1990s, but it has since been eclipsed by various rising and falling volcanic domes during the recent volcanic activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reggie Young</span> American musician (1936–2019)

Reggie Grimes Young Jr. was an American musician who was lead guitarist in the American Sound Studio house band, The Memphis Boys, and was a leading session musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheeseburger in Paradise</span> 1978 single by Jimmy Buffett

"Cheeseburger in Paradise" is a song written and performed by American popular music singer Jimmy Buffett. It appeared on his 1978 album Son of a Son of a Sailor and was released as a single, reaching No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Cheeseburger in Paradise" became one of Buffett's signature songs, and was selected as the first track on his greatest hits album Songs You Know by Heart.

Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded in 1969. Since then AIR has operated its own professional audio recording facilities, AIR Studios.

<i>Live at Fenway Park</i> 2005 live album by Jimmy Buffett

Live at Fenway Park is a live album by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It is one of a number of Jimmy Buffett sound board live albums recorded directly from the mixing console without further editing, in this sense resembling bootleg recordings.

<i>Songs You Know by Heart</i> 1985 greatest hits album by Jimmy Buffett

Songs You Know by Heart: Jimmy Buffett's Greatest Hit(s) is the 18th album and the first greatest hits compilation by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released in 1985. The parenthetical "s" in the subtitle alludes to the status at the time of "Margaritaville" as Buffett's single large chart hit.

<i>You Had to Be There</i> 1978 live album by Jimmy Buffett

You Had to Be There is a live double album by the American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was originally released in October 1978 as ABC AK-1008/2 and later re-released on ABC's successor label MCA. It is the first of Buffett's many live albums and his tenth album overall. The original vinyl print album included a fold-out poster showing many photos taken during the 1978 tour.

<i>Volcano</i> (Jimmy Buffett album) 1979 studio album by Jimmy Buffett

Volcano is the ninth studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and is his 11th overall. It was released on August 1, 1979, as his first album for MCA after its absorption of ABC Dunhill.

<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.

<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">Fins (song)</span> 1979 single by Jimmy Buffett

"Fins" was 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">Don't Do Me Like That</span> 1979 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Don't Do Me Like That" is a song written by Tom Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in November 1979 as the first single from the album Damn the Torpedoes (1979). It reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's only Top 10 hit. The single also peaked at number 3 in Canada. In the UK, despite airplay by Capital Radio in the summer of 1980, the track failed to make the Top 75 chart.

<i>Music for Montserrat</i> 1998 live album by Various Artists

Music for Montserrat was a benefit concert held on 15 September 1997 at the Royal Albert Hall. The event was organised by Sir George Martin, former producer for The Beatles and founder of Associated Independent Recording, to raise funds for the Caribbean island of Montserrat after a major volcanic eruption by the Soufrière Hills volcano earlier that year.

<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.

"I Still Miss Someone" is a song co-written by Johnny Cash and his nephew Roy Cash, Jr. and originally recorded by American country music singer Johnny Cash. He first recorded it in 1958 as the B-side to "Don't Take Your Guns to Town".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montserrat Volcano Observatory Tremors</span> Montserratian association football club

Montserrat Volcano Observatory TremorsFootball Club, are an association football club based in Salem, Montserrat, however due to the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano all home matches since 2002 have been played in the town of Lookout. They compete in the Montserrat Championship, the top flight football league in Montserrat. Their colours are green and red.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Sykes (musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

Keith Sykes is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. More than 100 of Sykes' songs have been recorded by John Prine, Rosanne Cash, The Judds, Jerry Jeff Walker, and George Thorogood, though he may be best known for co-writing "Volcano", the title track of Jimmy Buffett's 1979 album.

References

  1. "45 rpm Records – 1979 to 1993". April 2, 2002. Archived from the original on April 23, 2002. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  2. "Another Paradise Lost". Newsweek. August 17, 1997. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  3. hoggatt, matt (October 16, 2019). "Behind the Song: Jimmy Buffett, "Volcano"". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  4. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 1, 1979. p. 20. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  5. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. December 1, 1979. p. 1. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 123.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 42.