About Paris and Jimmy Buffett
Post 1409:
One of the first records I ever loved was an old Jimmy Buffett double live album. My dad was a fan, so of course I had to be. His passing made an impact on me, I’m not ashamed to say.
When I was a kid, you listened to the radio. There was rock. Classic rock. Country. Rap. Current pop. That was pretty much it, unless you were into boring classical music or something on 89.7 The Snooze. You had five or six presets and that’s all you’d need. I remember thinking that Jimmy was never on any of those stations. He was wildly popular, clearly, but I wouldn’t say he was mainstream. People just knew his songs. And this is before social media, streaming, whatever. That always struck me as amazing. And very cool. He carved out a chunk of the world and people flocked.
Before all the lifestyle marketing and restaurants, he wrote some amazing songs. Really, that’s what I care about. He wasn’t just a guy doing a bit. There was substance. Songs like “Come Monday” and “A Pirate Looks at Forty” are beautifully crafted: poignant, pretty and honest.
My favorite is a song called “He Went to Paris.” It’s basically the story of a man’s life, from youth to death, told in about three minutes. You think it would be trivializing to encapsulate someone’s entire existence in a few verses, but not here. We get the tale of this guy’s life and really all lives, the ups and downs, tragedies and hopes. The man in the song sets off to Paris “looking for answers to questions that bothered him so.” This is a brilliant metaphor to describe the way we all go forth in the world, energy and wonder under our wings.
Life gives and takes away from our man in the song. It’s sad, yes. but there’s beauty in the pain of life. I think it’s one of the best tunes ever written. Simple melody. Solid, honest vocals. No flash. It always makes me feel like I read a beautiful novel in three minutes.
It’s a touching testament to life, and a reminder that things don’t go the way we plan. Props to Jimmy for writing it and for all the other great songs. Quite a character. Cheers and see you after.
