For the faithful, they know these songs by heart. Storytelling is at the forefront of what he does, and his ability to generate a sense of wonder with his songs is unparalleled. If you ever needed proof, just witness him in concert. Whether performing spontaneously at a bar in Key West or some beach somewhere, or the way most people experience him, at a sold-out amphitheater on some summer day, year after year. You’ll no doubt see the crowd hanging onto every word. Jimmy Buffett is the ultimate storyteller.
Storytelling is his forte
It’s not just the songs themselves, but the connection people feel with the stories and the characters. I recall the Mayer brothers (Jim and Peter) Jimmy’s longtime band members of more than 30 years, remarking about his one of a kind on-stage style. Whereas they originally thought a performer should keep the concert going, Jimmy would sometimes spend 5-10 minutes talking to the audience. There he was telling the backstory of how a particular song came to be. There are few singers who could not only get away with this, but also have an audience who have come to expect it.
Buffett has a relationship with fans that few artists have
I had the chance to speak with Livingston Taylor, an expert on stage performance who has taught the course “Stage Performance” at Berklee College of Music since 1989. A singer-songwriter like his famed brother James, I asked him who the best performer was. He said: “Day in and day out, the best performer I know in terms of audience interaction is Jimmy Buffett. Jimmy Buffett’s relationship with his audience is truly wonderful. He truly sees them and knows them, and revels in their affection and joy for them. Jimmy Buffett is so good.”
You can’t stop a good story
So what does one of America’s greatest storytelling performers do in a year like 2020 where live gatherings just don’t happen? Some lights just can’t be dimmed. The bard of the beach must tell his tales and sing his songs.
Someone very close to Jimmy Buffett found the perfect conduit for that creative energy. It would be accurate to say she’s known him her whole life. Her name is Delaney Buffett. She’s a filmmaker and is also Jimmy’s daughter.
Fans want to hear the rarities
It all started with a question posed on Jimmy Buffett’s social media channels. What are the Buffett songs that never seem to get played at the shows that you most want to hear? More than 12,000 people responded. Astonishing, even when you consider his great following.
“Songs You Don’t Know By Heart” is simple and charming
The video concept was very simple. Delaney is the mysterious woman behind the camera who asks questions about a rare song from Jimmy’s catalogue. Then, Jimmy performs the song which is filmed “live.” As Delaney told Newsweek magazine “I sat down one-on-one with him and got an unplugged version of these songs. Not only to jog his memory, but also mine to remember the stories he would tell.” Jimmy’s 1985 greatest hits collection was entitled Songs You Know By Heart, so this weekly video series was cleverly named Songs You Don’t Know By Heart.
The idea is the intersection of two great things. The storytelling of Jimmy Buffett combined by raw, acoustic performances of the more obscure songs from Jimmy’s vast discography that spans 50 years.
The songs tended to be personal and poetic
The songs discussed and performed tended to be from the 70s and 80s with a couple from the 90s. The faithful Buffett aficionados love such lesser known songs as “Something so Feminine About a Mandolin,” (which resulted in a phone cameo from the cowriter Jane Buffett who is Jimmy’s wife) as well as “Little Miss Magic,” “The Captain and the Kid,” as well as “Delaney Talks to Statues,” all songs with subjects close to him. It was particularly gratifying to hear the story and a performance of “Death of an Unpopular Poet,” which Bob Dylan listed as one of his favorite songs.
Delaney makes for a unique interviewer. Not only is there a relaxed vibe to the series, but the comfort of seeing a father and daughter talk together is much needed medicine during a year of long distances and isolation. There’s something precious about it.
Director’s interests are eclectic
So what of Delaney’s interests? The diversity of her work show the curiosities of someone interested in an array of things. Her documentary The Spring tells the tale of real-life mermaid performers of the Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida. But she also wrote, produced and directed City of Angles, a series of comedic shorts about Los Angeles, a city where everybody has an angle. Exploring even more of her work reveals a range beyond that.
This wasn’t Delaney’s first experience directing a film focusing on the Buffett mystique. She chronicled the history of Jimmy’s pre-fame recordings in the documentary short The Story Behind Buried Treasure. I can appreciate her commitment to the off-beat and the less obvious. This combined with her sense of humor made her the perfect person to undertake this project.
The series created connections
Almost as much as the father-daughter story exchanges and the performances, I enjoyed reading how much people were getting from it. One person named Mikey commented that they played the video for “Peanut Butter Conspiracy,” for his dad who lives in an assisted living home. He shared how it brightened their day and how his dad tapped his feet. A lot of people got a lot of satisfaction from it. It was a dose of entertainment with a bit of lore.
The series can be streamed on-demand for free
The video series gathered thousands and thousands of views, numerous shares and comments from countless people. It’s been one of the audio/visual music and storytelling events of the year and it’s all there for you to watch for free on margaritaville.tv
The series shows another side of Buffett
Despite Jimmy Buffett’s party persona, the interesting thing about the songs people wanted to hear is that the majority of these songs border on the sentimental. What resonated with the fans and Jimmy alike were clearly his more sensitive ballads. I believe this is because the songs with a more sensitive and poetic quality seem to be nearer and dearer to his heart.
He once told a newspaper reporter Michelle Genz of the Miami Herald that although the party songs had certainly paid the bills, he certainly had his favorites. He said “I like ballads more. If I was going to do my own Jimmy Buffett concert, I’d go out there with my guitar and do what I consider the more interesting stories I’ve put to song.” Songs You Don’t Know By Heart is the realization of that long ago wish. Interestingly, it was the wish of most of his devotees as well.
The series is a much needed diversion
Live music is the greatest therapy. In a year where music couldn’t be more beneficial, going to a concert isn’t typically possible. That’s what makes Songs You Don’t Know By Heart so meaningful. Psychologists point out that looking forward to and planning things have immense benefits. Week after week there was a short diversion to anticipate.
The series inspired an upcoming studio album
So what next? Buffett has never been one to disappoint, the series has inspired an upcoming studio album, Songs You Don’t Know By Heart which will be released November 20, 2020 and feature almost all of the songs from this video series.
The album, produced by longtime friend and collaborator Mac McAnally, will feature these songs in a stripped down, simple style. The album will feature Buffett along with members of his Coral Reefer Band: McAnally and Peter Mayer on guitar and Eric Darken on percussion.
The series could create greater demand for deep cuts
Delaney and her father used their talents to help people cope with the reality of our time. The daughter and father have done a great service for the hearts of so many. Will there be future installments of the Songs You Don’t Know By Heart video series? Only time will tell. There’s certainly an abundance of songs and no shortage of stories.
This video series and the upcoming Songs You Don’t Know By Heart album could also usher in a renaissance of these brilliant, but lesser known songs from Buffett’s catalogues when live concerts return.
The perfect companion until live concerts return
Can you imagine the sights, sounds and emotions of that first concert you go to when things open back up? Experiencing live music is an integral part of the human experience. We have told our stories through song for centuries. It’s a part of who we are. When live shows return, I hope we don’t take it for granted.
In the meantime, this video series has been a spiritual reprieve. Every week the series was a consistent enjoyment from the preview all the way to the 15th and final installment. Thank you Jimmy and Delaney for creating an unprecedented kind of entertainment: without pretension, interesting and heartwarming. For so many, Songs You Don’t Know By Heart is a cherished gift.
