Download   We played beach bars for years, and this was certainly our most requested song, just ahead of “Margaritaville”.  When you’re on the beach, Jimmy Buffett just screams to be in your play list.  What a life that guy has lead…. I’m jealous.  Anyway, this is our version of “Volcano” that we’ve used since the 90’s.  But the song comes with a little bit of history…

In 1995, if you happened to live on the island of Montserrat in the British West Indies, you might have awakened one morning with a sense of foreboding.  There is the slight smell of sulfur in the air and a low rumble from the south end of the island, where the Soufriere Hills volcano lies dormant and quiet.  But not this morning.  Today it suddenly erupts and destroys most of this 10-mile-long piece of paradise in the Caribbean.  Two-thirds of the population were forced to flee and, to this day, the southern half is uninhabitable.

Sixteen years prior to this horrific event, Jimmy Buffett and band recorded the song “Volcano” on this very same island.  Lyrics like “Ground she’s movin’ under me” and “Sulfur smoke up in the sky” proved to be the dark future for Montserrat.  Perhaps we should add “prophet” to Jimmy’s many talents.

But this tune is light-hearted and fun (notwithstanding the history) and always gets a great reaction from your crowd.  I do hope Buffett doesn’t write a song about hurricanes since we’ll be in the season in a couple of months.  Oh, wait… he did! There’s “Surfin in a Hurricane” and “Tryin’ to Reason with Hurricane Season”.  Jimmy, lay off the natural disasters, okay?