"Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" is a song written and recorded by American popular music singer-songwriter

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffet ...

. It was released as a single (b/w "Landfall") on ABC Dunhill 12305 in August 1977.

Background

It was first released on his 1977 album ''

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes ''Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes'' is the seventh studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. This is his breakthrough 1977 album, which remains the best-selling studio album of Buffett's career, and co ...

''. It reached number 37 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 24 on the

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart, and number 11 on the

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart. This song begins with an instrumental introduction which initially resembles the chorus of " Yellow Bird" (originally a 19th-century Haitian song, which gained popularity in the U.S. through a Hawaiian-flavored instrumental by the

Arthur Lyman Arthur Lyman (February 2, 1932 – February 24, 2002) was an Hawaiian jazz vibraphone and marimba player. His group popularized a style of faux-Polynesian music during the 1950s and 1960s which later became known as exotica. His albums became ...

group in 1961), and then it evolves into the distinctive chorus of this song itself. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described the song as using "sailing and sun -drenched island imagery" and "catchy, Caribbean instrumentation" while having a "more serious tone" than Buffett's previous single "

Margaritaville "Margaritaville" is a 1977 song by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett from the album ''Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes''. This song was written about a drink Buffett discovered at Lung's Cocina del Sur restaurant ...

." The phrase "and son of a bitches" was edited out of the single version of the song, replaced by "some bruises, some stitches". Although ''

American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (previously abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacr ...

'' did play the original unedited version only once when it debuted at No. 38 on 10/22/77.Casey Kasem's American Top 40 – The 70's from October 22, 1977 ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' compared it with "

" saying that "the instrumental embellishments here are carried by harmonica rather than flute, while the lyrics are philosophical without quite so heavy an emphasis on alcohol." "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" is one of Buffett's more popular songs with fans, and is part of " The Big 8" that he has played at almost all of his concerts. Recorded live versions of the song appear on ''

You Had to Be There ''You Had to Be There'' is a live double album by the American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was originally released in October 1978 as ABC AK-1008/2 and later re-released on ABC's successor label MCA. It is the first of Bu ...

'', and the video ''

Live by the Bay ''Live by the Bay'' is a 1986 direct-to-video concert film of American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band. It was released in 1986 by MCA Entertainment. The 87-minute film was recorded from back to back conce ...

''.

Chart performance

Notes

External links

Lyrics
at BuffettWorld.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes (Song) 1977 songs Jimmy Buffett songs Songs written by Jimmy Buffett ABC Records singles Dunhill Records singles