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Cheeseburger in Paradise

(Jimmy Buffett)

Jimmy Buffett wrote this song in the late 1970s while on a sailing trip in the Caribbean where he was surviving on food that came out of a can or jar.  He dreamt of having a cheeseburger and when he arrived at Tortola in the British Virgin Islands he found a restaurant that served just what he had been dreaming about.  The song was released as a single, reaching No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and appeared on Jimmy Buffett’s 1978 album Son of a Son of a Sailor.

The song has since been parodied twice on the animated TV series South Park and was re-recorded by Jimmy Buffett for the video game Rock band.  The chain of Margarita Cafes owned by Jimmy Buffett which are located in the Caribbean, Mexico and throughout the United States, decided to take the name of the song even further and have it appear as an item on the menu.  This in turn led to another restaurant chain being opened by Jimmy Buffett’s company Margaritaville Holdings LLC with OSI Restaurant Partners.   Although Margaritaville Holdings sold their share, the name is used under license and it has since grown from having it’s first one opened in 2002 in Indianapolis to having 38 resturants located throughout the US as of 2006.

Jimmy Buffett recordings
(ABC Records – AB-12358, 45-00110-M/AB-12538, 45-00110-S) (US promo 45)
Vocals – Jimmy Buffett ( Vocals/Acoustic Guitar)
Keyboards – Mike Utley/Jay Spell
Drums and percussion – Kenneth Buttrey/Farrell Morris
Guitar – Steve Goodman/Tim Krekel
Bass – Harry Dailey/Norbert Putnam
Harmonica – Greg “Fingers” Taylor
Backing vocals – Lea Jane Berinati, Ginger Holladay, Larry Lee, Deborah McColl, Penny Nichols
Producer – Norbert Putnam

Sources:

  1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheeseburger_in_Paradise
  2. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3357
  3. http://www.cheeseburgerinparadise.com/company.asp
  4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheeseburger_in_Paradise_(restaurant)
  5. http://www.buffettnews.com/resources/discography/?album=9
  6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_a_Son_of_a_Sailor