OK, you'll need 15 minutes of spare time and a glass of bourbon (or whatever) to fully appreciate this piece. One of My favorite Jimmy Buffett songs is "God's Own Drunk" - I won't go into all the details but let's just say I know what the phrase "commode huggin' drunk" means. And I knew that there had been some legal issues back in the '80s involving his rendition of the song but frankly I didn't pay much attention - I like the song, so I listen to it whenever I am in the mood.
But recently I stumbled on the original version of the song by Lord Buckley, and now I think I understand the controversy. Here are both versions, with Jimmy's remake first:
And here's the original Lord Buckley rendition:
I think I see why his estate might have been upset. I'm not trying to reopen any controversies here, I just want to give credit where credit is due - Jimmy is a great song-writer, but this song is all Lord Buckley's (except maybe the cool guitar melody).
So pour another drink, relax, and listen to both versions again - for no reason other than they are both wonderful to listen to.
But don't you agree that it's a classic story and a really great song?
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