''Somewhere over China'' () is the eleventh studio album by American 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 in January 1982 as MCA 5285 and is the last Buffett album produced by

Norbert Putnam Norbert Auvin Putnam (born August 10, 1942) is an American musician, studio owner and record producer who was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019.Robert McFarland, Jr"Norbert Putnam."'' Delta Business Journal''. November 2004. Acce ...

Songs

In addition to songs written or co-written by Buffett (two with

Steve Goodman Steven Benjamin Goodman (July 25, 1948 – September 20, 1984) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter from Chicago. He wrote the song "City of New Orleans", which was recorded by Arlo Guthrie and many others including John Denver, ...

and two with

Michael Utley Michael Edward Utley is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer for Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. He is the musical director of the band. Born in Blytheville in Mississippi County, Arkansas, he graduated from the Univer ...

), the album includes the

John Scott Sherrill John Scott Sherrill is an American songwriter whose work is primarily in the field of country music. His brother, Donn Sherrill, was a Vanderbilt student. He introduced John Scott to his fraternity brother, Scott Siman who recorded demos of his m ...

-penned "Steamer" and

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

's 1940s standard "

On a Slow Boat to China On, on, or ON may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * On (band), a solo project of Ken Andrews * On (EP), ''On'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Aphex Twin * On (Echobelly album), ''On'' (Echobelly album), 1995 * On (Gary Glitter album), ''On'' (Gary Glit ...

." Recorded for the album but not included was "Elvis Imitators", also written by Goodman, with Buffett singing an

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

imitation with

the Jordanaires The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. Over the years, they recorded both sacred and secular music for recording companies such as Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Vocal ...

on background vocals. The song was to be credited to "Freddie and the Fishsticks" Elvis Music
Accessed October 1, 2007. "Freddie Fishstick" is also credited as a "Reeferette" on this album. and it was later released on Buffett's

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

, ''

Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads ''Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads'' is a four-compact disc (or cassette) compilation box set of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band's greatest hits, rarities, and previously unreleased songs. Released in 1992, the collection reached quadruple ...

''. "I Heard I Was in Town" was also included on the box set in the Ballads section, but in a slightly different mix than what appears on ''Somewhere over China''; it also makes its only official live recording on Buffett's live EP ''Live in Key West''.

Chart performance

''Somewhere over China'' reached No. 31 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. The song "It's Midnight and I'm not Famous Yet" hit No. 32 on the new (at the time) ''Billboard'' Rock Tracks chart.

Track listing

Side 1: #"Where's the Party" (Jimmy Buffett,

Bill LaBounty Bill LaBounty is an American musician. He was initially a singer-songwriter in the soft rock genre. As a solo artist, LaBounty recorded six studio albums, including four on Curb/Warner Bros. Records. His first charting single, " This Night Won't ...

) – 3:37 #"It's Midnight and I'm Not Famous Yet" (Jimmy Buffett, Steve Goodman) – 3:49 #"I Heard I Was in Town" (Jimmy Buffett,

) – 3:36 #"Somewhere over China" (Jimmy Buffett) – 5:20 Side 2: #"When Salome Plays the Drum" (Jimmy Buffett) – 3:25 #"Lip Service" (Jimmy Buffett, Michael Utley) – 3:57 #"If I Could Just Get It on Paper" (Jimmy Buffett) – 3:32 #"Steamer" (

) – 4:06 #"

" (

) – 3:56

Personnel

The

Coral Reefer Band The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. The band's name alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and "reefer" (slang for marijuana). Origins Current ...

: *Jimmy Buffett – vocals, rhythm guitar *

– piano, organ, synthesizer *

Greg "Fingers" Taylor Greg "Fingers" Taylor (born June 3, 1952) is an American harmonica player, best known for his work with Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. Career Greg Taylor was born in Wichita, Kansas, June 3, 1952 where he attended Wichita North High School. ...

– harmonica *Harry Dailey – bass *Matt "Matty Dread" Betton – drums, timbales *

Josh Leo Josh Leo (born 1953 in Des Moines, Iowa) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer active in Nashville, Tennessee. Leo was born in Des Moines, Iowa, but was raised in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1976, he moved to Chicago, Illinois ...

– electric and acoustic guitar *Barry Chance – electric and acoustic guitar *M.L. Benoit – congas Additional Reefers: *Farrell Morris – vibes and percussion *

– upright bass and Casio *Doyle Grisham – pedal steel *

Hank DeVito Henry M. "Hank" DeVito is an American musician and photographer known primarily for his pedal steel guitar work and songwriting. Biography After high school, DeVito attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He studied graphic arts and ...

– pedal steel on "If I could Just Get it on Paper" *Deborah McColl – reeferette *Florence "Bambi" Warner – reeferette *Christian Bachellier – reeferette *

David Loggins David Allen Loggins (born November 10, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Musical career Loggins is best known for his 1974 song composition "Please Come to Boston", which was a No. 5 popular music success (No. 1 Easy Listen ...

– reeferette *Freddy Fishstick – reeferette

Singles

*"It's Midnight And I'm Not Famous Yet" b/w "When Salome Plays The Drum" (Released on MCA 52013 in February 1982) *"Where's The Party" b/w "If I Could Just Get It On Paper" (Released on MCA 52050 in April 1982)

Notes

{{Authority control Jimmy Buffett albums 1982 albums Albums produced by Norbert Putnam MCA Records albums