Listen to Jimmy Buffett’s new song, “ Bubbles Up “, which Paul McCartney says is his best singing to date.
Although he faced health issues in the last years of his life, Jimmy Buffett remained productive, working on his first album of new music since 2020. This album, Equal Strain on All Parts, scheduled for November 3, was completed shortly before his death at age 76 on September 1 from skin cancer. Three new songs will be previewed: “ Bubbles Up “, ” My Gummie Just Kicked In ” And ” Like My Dog “.
“ Bubbles Up “, the first song revealed, is a ballad which, like other Buffett songs such as ” Tides », reveals a deeper side of his music. The song gets its name because sailors can follow bubbles to the surface to avoid drowning if their boat capsizes. Buffett co-wrote the song with singer, songwriter and guitarist Will Kimbrough. With a melody reminiscent of a country anthem, it offers a reassuring message about how to navigate life and a chorus that takes on new meaning after Buffett’s passing: ” Know that you are loved, that there is light up there and joy, there is always enough. »
Equal Strain on All Parts includes appearances by Paul McCartney, Emmylou Harris (on a version of “ Mozambique » by Bob Dylan, on which Harris originally sang), Angélique Kidjo and the Preservation Hall Jazz band. Michael Utley and Mac McAnally of Buffett’s band the Coral Reefers produced the record. After Buffett’s death, another friend, James Taylor, dedicated a version of ” Mexico » during his concert at the Jones Beach Theater on Long Island.
But it was the former Beatle who was so moved by “ Bubbles Up » that he talked about it online in a tribute to Buffett: “I told him that not only was the song great, but it was probably the best singing I’d ever heard him do. He turned a diving phrase used to drag people underwater into a metaphor for life: When you’re confused and don’t know where you are, follow the bubbles – they’ll bring you back to the surface and right you immediately. »
According to Buffett’s camp, the inspiration for another new song, ” My Gummie Just Kicked In came during a dinner with Buffett, his wife Jane, and McCartney and his wife, Nancy Shevell. “ If someone made an interesting remark, he would repeat it in his beautiful Louisiana accent and say, “That’s a good idea for a song.” McCartney wrote in an online tribute to Buffett. Most of the time, you didn’t have to wait long for the song to appear. » This was the case here, and McCartney himself found himself playing bass on the track during what he called ” a fun session “.
In an interview given to Rolling Stone In 2020, Buffett revealed how he wanted to be remembered. “ I would say, “He had fun and made a lot of people happy,” that would be nice,” did he declare. True to this tradition, the title of Buffett’s album, produced by his own label Mailboat Records in collaboration with the legendary Sun Records, refers to the way his grandfather described ” a good nap “.
David Browne
Translated by the editorial staff