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Jimmy Buffett ably summed up his catalog with the title of his 1992 box set — Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads. But that cuts broader, and deeper, than many realize.Buffett’s prevailing image, of course, was of floral shirts and Hawaiian leis, summer concert parties and fans with parrots on their shoulders and sharks, or at least fins, on their heads. And cheeseburgers on a paradise of tailgate grills. He also pioneered lifestyle branding, turning his tunes into an inclusive universe that includes restaurants, casinos, beer, real estate, radio and even a form of social media well before Mark Zuckerberg took the SAT. (Sadly, Buffett died at age 76 this week, as announced on his website, “surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs.” His cause of death has not yet been confirmed.)
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Buffett’s signature lifestyle (and associated business ventures) sometimes eclipsed his music, and particularly to his songwriting. Before Margaritaville became a utopian state-of-mind, Buffett was an active and accomplished troubadour, writing songs in Nashville and busking in New Orleans before Jerry Jeff Walker introduced him to Key West and lit a conceptual light bulb Buffett would ride to fame and fortune. But he’s applied the same craft and literary flair from his folk club days to everything he’s recorded during the past 53 years — and the vast majority of his songs sound just as good sober as they do if you’re, well, wasting away in a grass skirt and coconut bra.
So, we put down the margaritas for a moment to consider the 20 best Jimmy Buffett songs, from across his vast, 29-album catalog.
20. Jimmy Buffett, “Gypsies in the Palace”
The spoken-word introduction wears out its welcome quickly, but this lively country rocker about the mice playing — raising hell, actually — while the cat’s away is a welcome listen most any time.
19. Jimmy Buffett, “Livingston Saturday Night”
Buffett’s in fine country rockin’ form here, pumped up by a hot brass section and Greg “Fingers” Taylor’s fiery harmonica solo.
18. Jimmy Buffett, “Oldest Surfer On The Beach”
Mark Knopfler wrote this 2013 album track for Buffett, bringing something with poignant emotional weight to the Margaritaville man’s latter-day canon.
17. Jimmy Buffett, “The Great Filling Station Holdup”
Buffett’s contribution to country’s crime songs sub-genre is honky-tonk worthy 45 years later — and also has the distinction of being the A-side of “Why Don’t We Get Drunk,” which went on to even greater popularity.
16. Jimmy Buffett & Martina McBride, “Trip Around The Sun”
Country never seemed to trust Buffett enough (imagine that!) to make him one of the genre’s staples, but this 2004 duet with Martina McBride was worthy of its Top 20 status and doesn’t sound like it’s aged a minute.
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15. Jimmy Buffett, “Pencil Thin Mustache”
At the ripe age of 28 Buffett was in a nostalgic and jaunty mood, name-checking Disneyland, “American Bandstand,” “Sky King,” Ricky Ricardo and more with genuine joy.
14. Jimmy Buffett, “Boat Drinks”
A 1979 B-side (to “Survive”) that’s nothing less than a Buffett mission statement, Caribbean flavored but driven by some meaty guitars that give these “Drinks” a bit more punch.
13. Jimmy Buffett, “It’s Midnight and I’m Not Famous Yet”
A rocking co-write with Steve Goodman from 1992’s Somewhere Over China. Buffett was already famous, to a degree, but it’s something of a foreshadowing to the Margaritaville mania that would build momentum in just a few years.
12. Jimmy Buffett, “Volcano”
Buffett plays historian, as it were, on this good-humored, Caribbean-flavored ditty about the real-life — and at the time dormant — Soufriere Hills volcano on Montserrat, where he recorded during May of 1979. For the record, Soufriere woke up again during August of 1995.
11. Jimmy Buffett, “Nobody From Nowhere”
The existential opening track from 2009’s Buffett Hotel rides a cool, slightly country-flavored groove that slow burns into a gospel-tinged soul chorus. A gem that merits more attention and appreciation.
10. Jimmy Buffett, “Why Don’t We Get Drunk”
The songwriting debut by one Marvin Gardens (a Monopoly-inspired pseudonym for Buffett) is tongue-in-cheek country — not quite parody, but definitely acknowledging that he got the joke, too.
9. Jimmy Buffett, “Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes”
A pure Buffett travelogue that goes down as easy as a Mai Tai at sunset. Interesting fact: The “sons of b–ches” lyric has to be edited to “some bruises, some stiches” when the single came out during 1977.
8. Jimmy Buffett, “Come Monday”
The Buffett go-to ballad, cottony and gentle, was his first Hot 100 top 40 hit and top five on the old Easy Listening chart, a categorization it would take him a minute to climb away from.
7. Jimmy Buffett, “One Particular Harbor”
A buoyant, dynamic delight inspired by island travels, with an infectious chorus groove and recurring lyrics in Tahitian for authenticity. If the original 1983 production feels a bit tame, subsequent live arrangements gave the tune more lift-off.
6. Jimmy Buffett, “A Pirate Looks at Forty”
Buffett was only 28 when he released this gentle rumination for, and about, a real-life drug-smuggler, but he ably conveys a blend of world-weary resignation and still-simmering desire.
5. Jimmy Buffett, “Margaritaville”
As much a state of mind as a song, Buffett’s cinematically drawn nirvana is still an absorbing listen, even if it’s been turned into maybe the best branding device pop music has ever witnessed.
4. Jimmy Buffett, “Cheeseburger In Paradise”
A buoyant and sincere celebration of high-calorie, high-cholesterol and high-spirited goodness that even a vegan could get behind, even if they don’t consume. That’s OK — we’ll take theirs.
3. Jimmy Buffett, “He Went to Paris”
Buffett has periodically celebrated this one, about a Spanish Civil War veteran he met while he was performing in Chicago, as one of his favorite compositions. Bob Dylan apparently likes it, too — and so should any Parrothead worth his or her Margarita salt.
2. Jimmy Buffett, “Fins”
Fun, and funny, this was Buffett’s best rocker even before the Parrotheads started making the en masse dorsals above their heads at concerts.
1. Jimmy Buffett, “Son of a Son of a Sailor”
The best Jimmy Buffett song isn’t one for hoisting boat drinks; It’s more fit for sippin’ at sunset, watching the other crafts sail in after you’ve tied yours in the slip.
Five years ago today (April 20), the world was rocked by the news of Avicii’s death. The producer, 28 years old at the time of his passing, died by suicide in Muscat, Oman. In the 24 hours following the news of his death, there were nearly four million Tweets mentioning “Avicii.”
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His legacy lives on. The message board on the official Avicii website is constantly populated with new notes regarding his impact. Messages posted today include “I miss you….. Thank you for everything…. And I will never ever forget you” to “Ur songs kept me alive from the age of 9 until now and forever” to “I always indulge in your songs when I am down. They give me positivity and bravery.”
Today on Twitter, artists and dance brands also commemorated the anniversary, with Afrojack writing “rip Avicii still play your music every show” and Defected Records posting “Forever in our hearts” with an image of the artist.
It’s an immeasurably difficult day for everyone who loved the artist born Tim Bergling and the music he made during his short but massively impactful run as dance music’s apex artist. There is perhaps some comfort to be found in this music, which is still played prolifically during festival and club sets and which, in a way, makes Avicii immortal.
These are our picks for the 15 best Avicii songs.
15. Avicii Feat. Joe Janiak, “Bad Reputation”
Taken from Avicii’s 2019 posthumous album, Tim, “Bad Reputation” uses waves of synth and an extremely catchy hook from singer Joe Janiak to forge an undeniable earworm with a drop made from slick marimba.
14. Avicii, “Street Dancer”
This 2011 tune isn’t as famous as some other Avicii songs. It only charted in the Netherlands, but it’s one of the producer’s most unique pieces to date. It’s got a harder edge than most of his compositions and a decidedly ’80s tropical tinge, like neon palm trees on a Miami Vice set. It samples Break Machine’s 1983 track “Street Dance,” which explains that retro flair. If you’ve never heard this deep cut, definitely give it a go.
13. Avicii, “True Believer”
Avicii reportedly made roughly 100 versions of this track from Stories, which features Coldplay’s Chris Martin on vocals for the chorus and reflects the leaner approach Avicii took on his 2015 LP.
12. Coldplay, “A Sky Full Of Stars”
While yes, officially a Coldplay song, “Sky Full Of Stars” was co-written and co-produced by Avicii for the band’s 2014 album, Ghost Stories. With a piano-rendered build/drop as buoyant and blissful as anything else he made during this prolific period, it’s rightfully included in the Avicii cannon.
11. Avicii Feat. Sebastian Drums, “My Feelings For You”
This track is a super disco inferno, hunk of burning dance floor glory. It might not have charted as strong as some other Avicii songs, but it’s definitely a crowd favorite. Even hipster DJs were dropping this one every week when it came out. Maybe that’s because it’s technically a remix of a song from French band Cassius and, you know, hipsters love French music.
10. Avicii Feat. Sandro Cavazza, “Without You”
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“Without You” arrives on Avicii’s six-track EP Av?ci (01) and sports a catchy melody with zippy synths reminiscent of his country-pop sound. The record features Swedish singer-songwriter Sandro Cavazza who Avicii also remixed and included on his EP.
9. Avicii Feat. Noonie Bao, “Fades Away”
One of the most haunting and memorable tracks on Tim — which was completed after Avicii’s death by a group of producers who’d been close to him — is its closing song, which features a tight drop made from a lush section and vocals from Swedish singer Noonie Bao querying “don’t you love it how it all, it all just fades away?” — lyrics penned by Bergling before his death.
8. Avicii, “Talk To Myself’
Stories-era Avicii found the artist paring down the massive EDM production that made him famous and leaning into the tighter, sort of cooler productions that define the 2015 album. Few do it better than “Talk To Myself,” which starts with a dark synth and spare disco strings before laying in rhythm guitar before expanding into an anthem that once again emphasizes his genius level understanding of melody.
7. Avicii, “Hey Brother”
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Avicii’s album True was really out to show the world just how inclusive dance music could be. You’ve never heard such glistening country pop as you have on True, and “Hey Brother” is one of the twangiest dance floor favorites to ever grace the festival circuit. Singer Dan Tyminski brings the heavy bluegrass element over Avicii’s four-on-the-floor and brightly glowing synths. Fair warning, the music video is liable to make you cry.
6. Tim Berg – “Seek Bromance”
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This classic jam is so old school that Avicii wasn’t even called Avicii when it was released — he was still known as Tim Berg. Yet, we all remember “Seek Bromance” as one of the best songs in Avicii’s catalog. It charted in 20 countries and reached number one on the Billboard Dance Clubs Songs list. Now six years after its release, you can hear how influential its been to every damn feel-good house song that came after.
5. Avicii, “Silhouettes”
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There’s something so undeniable about this pumping beat, this misty melody, and Swedish singer Salem Al Fakir’s smoky vocals. It just gives us a warm, cozy feeling listening to it. Maybe it’s also partially nostalgia for 2011 when everyone was first swept up in Avicii mania. This was one of those songs that, even if you acted like you didn’t like it at the time, you find yourself fist pumping to in no time.
4. Avicii Feat. Nicky Romero, “I Could Be The One”
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This hook became one of the most recognizable melodies of 2012 almost instantly. This song flickers between indulgently sweet and absolutely bangerific. Fun fact: the instrumental version once featured a sample of Justice‘s seminal anthem “D.A.N.C.E.,” though the sample was removed for the final version fans know and love. It was a total smash, charting in 22 countries and hitting four Billboard charts, peaking the US Dance Clubs list before it was finished.
3. Avicii, “Fade Into Darkness”
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While its easy to forget Avicii existed before “Levels” took over the whole world, “Fade Into Darkness” in fact predates that track. Listening to this tune today, one can hear a lot of Avicii’s country-western influence just beginning to bubble up to the surface. Replace the piano with acoustic guitar and this all time anthem could definitely be one of the cross-genre hits that define the artist’s later catalog.
2. Avicii, “Wake Me Up”
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The collective head-scratch moment that hit Ultra Music Festival in Miami when Avicii first debuted this song in 2013 is the stuff of dance world mythology, as no producer had ever even conceived of melding country music with electronic dance until Avicii showed artists the way.
1. Avicii, “Levels”
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12 years after its release, “Levels” remains one of the biggest dance music songs ever recorded and the defining anthem of the EDM era. The track introduced a new generation to Etta James, was a top ten hit in 15 countries and topped the charts in both Avicii’s homeland of Sweden and the United States. It still goes off when dropped at any given party or festival (which it still is, frequently.) “Levels” is timeless, it is universal, and it is quintessential Avicii.
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