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I was looking at the tracklist for TTWY and I started wondering when it was that Jimmy (or his writing partners) stopped writing the majority of songs on his new records. I went to Margaritaville.com and looked it up on the discography. Since BHOTM doesn't credit the song writers on it's lyrics page, I'll have to say that FSOTW is when he started recording more and more covers.

On FSOTW, 7 of the 12 songs were new. Of those 7, Jimmy had a hand in writing them all, with the title track being the only one soley written by him.

License to Chill is really where the covers started dominating. Eleven of the sixteen tracks were covers. Again, Jimmy had a hand in writing all five of the new songs, and this time it's Coastal Confessions being the one song Jimmy wrote himself.

That brings us to TTWWY. Of the 15 tracks (and I'm including Here We Are), again, only five are new songs. Jimmy, again, was part of the writing team that turned in these 5 new songs. I had thought that Here We Are was just Jimmy, but the BN song database lists it written by Jimmy and Matt Betton. I also thought Hula Girl At Heart was just Jimmy, but that wasn't the case either.

I write this because I think it's ironic that the new songs on all the albums, the ones written by Jimmy...are the best ones! I wonder why he doesnt keep the covers to a minimum and give us some more songs from that talent-filled well he has.

I've noticed an increase in cover songs as well, and to be honest, I'm a little disappointed. I've always felt that's what Jimmy has going for him the most; that he's able to write songs that take people to a happier place. It also seem to me that the songs he's written lately, the majority are towards the "corny" side rather than the heart felt side that I love. There are exceptions of course. Coastal Confessions being one.

Hopefully, there's more to come.

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Cue the dead horse

Matty wrote:That brings us to TTWWY. Of the 15 tracks (and I'm including Here We Are), again, only five are new songs.

Just because Jimmy didn't have a hand in writing it, doesn't mean it's not "new". Bama Breeze is new, never before recorded by an artist. And I'm not positive about Reggabilly Hill, but I don't think that one's been recorded before either.

LIPH wrote:

You can beat a dead horse, there's proof of that here almost daily.

99.7, all the hits, all the time...

SharkOnLand wrote:

Matty wrote:That brings us to TTWWY. Of the 15 tracks (and I'm including Here We Are), again, only five are new songs.

Just because Jimmy didn't have a hand in writing it, doesn't mean it's not "new". Bama Breeze is new, never before recorded by an artist. And I'm not positive about Reggabilly Hill, but I don't think that one's been recorded before either.

Bama Breeze has actually been recorded, although I am not sure if it is on an album. I have the Josh Kear version of this song.

Well, it gives us something to look forward to next time.

I know Jimmy seems so laid-back and acts like he doesn't give a flip what critics say, but in the past when he worked really hard on a concept album with all original material, he got lambasted!!

Fruitcakes, Banana Wind, and Barometer Soup ARE examples of writing with his band and didn't seem to get the acclaim and appreciation I feel they deserve.

Well then here comes License to Chill and LOOK at all the Radio PLAY and AWARDS, APPEAL!!

Do you blame him! "Why we do the things we do!!??"

Maybe his co-writing partners are just too busy doing their own original works. Maybe they are all involved in their own creative endeavors. Look at the volumes of arrangements/lyrics the guys in the band have produced lately.

conched wrote:Maybe his co-writing partners are just too busy doing their own original works. Maybe they are all involved in their own creative endeavors. Look at the volumes of arrangements/lyrics the guys in the band have produced lately.

And just maybe, this is what Jimmy wants to do....

Let's just hope he doesn't cover anymore Trippin' Billies/The Horizon Has Been Defeated type songs. It was painful listening to those songs when he did them live last year.

Quiet and Shy wrote:

conched wrote:Maybe his co-writing partners are just too busy doing their own original works. Maybe they are all involved in their own creative endeavors. Look at the volumes of arrangements/lyrics the guys in the band have produced lately.

And just maybe, this is what Jimmy wants to do....

Probably so with the busy schedule he must be dealing with, I'm sure his downtime is just that, downtime. Let's face it, cover songs are the easiest way to go and it gives him a chance to make some of his favorite songs sort-of his own. I'm fine with the covers because I have to admit, several of them are songs I'm hearing for the first time, so they're new to me. As for the cover songs that I had heard before, I personally like the way he has 'Buffett-ized' them.

Quiet and Shy wrote:

conched wrote:Maybe his co-writing partners are just too busy doing their own original works. Maybe they are all involved in their own creative endeavors. Look at the volumes of arrangements/lyrics the guys in the band have produced lately.

And just maybe, this is what Jimmy wants to do....

He enjoys watching us hit the horse over and over and over

I don't think any of them are that busy - they don't tour much and they mostly work on, it seems, recording covers. So so what. Jimmy obviously hears something in other people's songs that he wants to...convey. Hell, he's been doing that since 1973. There isn't one album that doesn't have some kind of cover song on it.

Here's another way of looking at it - when The Beatles and The Rolling Stones started out all they did were covers. So Jimmy is ending with doing more and more covers. Maybe he doesn't have much to say for writing new songs. Who knows. Maybe he's finally heard enough songs after 30 some years to be able to pick out the ones he likes the most and wants to record/play those.

You'll still buy the albums (if he does any more that is). I really don't see what the problem is. If you want more original Buffett tunes go listen to CILCIA or some 1970s album.

YuppieParrothead wrote:

SharkOnLand wrote:

Matty wrote:That brings us to TTWWY. Of the 15 tracks (and I'm including Here We Are), again, only five are new songs.

Just because Jimmy didn't have a hand in writing it, doesn't mean it's not "new". Bama Breeze is new, never before recorded by an artist. And I'm not positive about Reggabilly Hill, but I don't think that one's been recorded before either.

Bama Breeze has actually been recorded, although I am not sure if it is on an album. I have the Josh Kear version of this song.

It's on an album called "Fifth of July", which has a few other good songs on it, too.

This begs the question: if a little-known artist writes and records a song that does nothing at all, and then an artist like Jimmy does it, is it Jimmy's song or what?

Also, are we complaining about songs written by people other than Jimmy? Think of all the songs we associate with Jimmy almost exclusively that were written by other people. "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere", "Semi-True Stories", and "Great Heart" sound like true-blue JB songs to me, but alas, they are not.

Furthermore, what does it matter! If the song sounds good who gives a flip who wrote it!? Let's not get as picky as the Beatlephiles, people. We're better than that.

the question is

WHY NOT USE THE BAND TO WRITE SONGS?????????????????????????????????????????????

when was the last time utley,mcdonald,mayer brothers,etc have contributed.its been a long time.and over that time,the amount of covers has increased!!

changingchannels wrote:the question is

WHY NOT USE THE BAND TO WRITE SONGS?????????????????????????????????????????????

when was the last time utley,mcdonald,mayer brothers,etc have contributed.its been a long time.and over that time,the amount of covers has increased!!

Maybe utley,mcdonald,mayer brothers want more $$$$ & rights to the tunes them JB is willing to give up?

changingchannels wrote:the question is

WHY NOT USE THE BAND TO WRITE SONGS?????????????????????????????????????????????

when was the last time utley,mcdonald,mayer brothers,etc have contributed.its been a long time.and over that time,the amount of covers has increased!!

Don't forget about Roger Guth. He wrote a song by the title of "Blue Guitar". You may have heard that on FSOTW. He also co-wrote "Good Guys Win" with Mac, remember the Hoot Soundtrack from earlier this year?