Buffett began playing guitar during his first year at Auburn University before continuing his college years at Pearl River Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi. He began his musical career in Nashville, Tennessee, during the late 1960s as a country artist and recorded his first album, the country-tinged folk rock record "Down to Earth" in 1970.
Moving to FLorida, Buffett's second release was 1973's A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean. Albums Living & Dying in 3/4 Time and A1A both followed in 1974, Havana Daydreamin' appeared in 1976, and Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes followed in 1977, which featured the breakthrough hit song "Margaritaville".
Buffett's album License to Chill, released on July 13, 2004, topped the U.S. pop albums chart for the first time in his career.
Buffett continued to tour regularly until shortly before his death, although later in his career, he shifted to a more relaxed schedule of around 20–30 dates, with infrequent back-to-back nights, preferring to play only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This schedule provided the title of his 1999 live album.
In August 2006, he released the album Take the Weather with You.
On April 20, 2010, a double CD of performances recorded during the 2008 and 2009 tours, called Encores, was released.
In 2020, Buffett released Songs You Don't Know by Heart, a fan-curated collection of his lesser-known songs rerecorded on his collection of notable guitars.
Illness and death:
In May 2023, Buffett was hospitalized to "address some issues that needed immediate attention" and rescheduled tour dates. In late August, he entered hospice care and had a final meeting with family and friends, in which his last words to his sister were "have fun". Buffett died on September 1, 2023, age 76, at his home in Sag Harbor, New York, due to complications from Merkel-cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer, with which he had been diagnosed four years earlier. He was surrounded by his family, friends, music, and dogs at the time of his death.
Changes In Latitudes Changes In Attitudes
Jimmy Buffett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just to try and recall the whole year
All of the faces and all of the places
Wonderin' where they all disappeared
I didn't ponder the question too long
I was hungry and went out for a bite
Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum
And we wound up drinkin' all night
It's those changes in latitudes
Changes in attitudes nothing remains quite the same
With all of our running and all of our cunning
If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane
Reading departure signs in some big airport
Reminds me of the places I've been
Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure
Makes me want to go back again
If it suddenly ended tomorrow
I could somehow adjust to the fall
Good times and riches and son of a bitches
I've seen more than I can recall
These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
Through all of the islands and all of the highlands
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane
I think about Paris when I'm high on red wine
I wish I could jump on a plane
And so many nights I just dream of the ocean
God, I wish I was sailin' again
Oh, yesterdays are over my shoulder
So I can't look back for too long
There's just too much to see waiting in front of me
And I know that I just can't go wrong
With these
Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
Through all of the islands and all of the highlands
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane
The lyrics of "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" by Jimmy Buffett reflects on the idea that life is full of constant change, and one must not dwell on the past and instead focus on the adventures that lie ahead in the present and future. In the first verse, the singer takes a break to reflect on the past year and wonders where all the familiar faces and places have gone. However, he does not stay melancholic for long and ends up enjoying a wild night with a friend. The chorus emphasizes the importance of embracing change and accepting that nothing will stay the same. Life is full of challenges and surprises, and the only way to deal with it is by keeping a positive attitude and embracing laughter in the face of adversity.
The second verse sees the singer leaving a city and being reminded of all the good times and fond memories he has had in different places. He longs to revisit these places and experience the joy he once had. However, he understands that if things were to end abruptly, he would adapt and move forward. The chorus is repeated, emphasizing that life is full of different landscapes and situations, and we must keep an open mind and a sense of humor to stay sane. The final verse continues the theme of change and how the memories of the past are just that, memories. The singer ends on an optimistic note, acknowledging that there is much to see and experience, and he is looking forward to it.
Line by Line Meaning
I took off for a weekend last month
I left home for a weekend, trying to reflect on the whole year
Just to try and recall the whole year.
I left home with the intention of recollecting the events of the entire year
All of the faces and all of the places,
I remembered all the people and places I've been to
Wonderin' where they all disappeared.
I was wondering where they all went
I didn't ponder the question too long;
I didn't wonder about it for long
I was hungry and went out for a bite.
I became hungry and went out to grab a snack
Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum,
I met a friend who had brought a bottle of rum
And we wound up drinkin' all night.
And we ended up drinking all night long
It's those changes in latitudes,
It's the change in the places we go to
Changes in attitudes nothing remains quite the same.
Things never stay the same and our outlook towards life keeps changing
With all of our running and all of our cunning,
With all the effort we put into life
If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane.
We would go crazy if we couldn't find humor in life
Reading departure signs in some big airport
When I see flight schedules displayed in airports
Reminds me of the places I've been.
It reminds me of all the places I have visited before
Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure
It makes me remember the good times I had and the joy they brought
Makes me want to go back again.
It makes me want to visit those places again
If it suddenly ended tomorrow,
If life abruptly ended tomorrow
I could somehow adjust to the fall.
I would find a way to adapt to the change
Good times and riches and son of a bitches,
I've experienced great moments, wealth, and some unpleasant people in life
I've seen more than I can recall
I have experienced so much in life that I can't remember it all
These changes in latitudes,
These changes in the places I have traveled to
changes in attitudes,
Changes in my outlook towards life
Nothing remains quite the same.
Things keep changing in life
Through all of the islands and all of the highlands,
Through all the places I've visited
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane
Life would be unbearable if we couldn't find humor in it
I think about Paris when I'm high on red wine,
Sometimes I think about Paris when I'm feeling intoxicated
I wish I could jump on a plane.
I wish I could travel there right away
And so many nights I just dream of the ocean.
I often have dreams about the ocean
God, I wish I was sailin' again.
I wish I was sailing again like I used to
Oh, yesterdays are over my shoulder,
I don't dwell on the past
So I can't look back for too long.
I can't afford to look back on the past for too long
There's just too much to see waiting in front of me,
There's too much in the future to look forward to
And I know that I just can't go wrong
I'm confident that I can't mess up too badly
With these changes in latitudes,
With these changes in the places I've been to
changes in attitudes,
Changes in my outlook towards life
Nothing remains quite the same.
Things always change continually
Through all of the islands and all of the highlands,
In all the places I've visited
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane
Finding the humor in life is critical to our sanity
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jimmy Buffett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Sith35864
I will ALWAYS raise a glass to this man.
He did a uso show for us in the sandbox in Dubai. Man brought the rum, did a show on-stage, and just brought that little piece of home that much closer.
@BeachLife61
Miss you like crazy Bubba🥲I hope heaven is beautiful and the drinks are flowing !! Wishing your latitude was here with all who loves you! 🐬
@jessietillery8189
Amen 🩵
@sarahdee374
yep, I hope the water is salty and the sun always shining! That truly would be Heaven for me!
@williamjones242
To go on my tombstone, the greatest lines in any song.
'Good times and riches
And son-of-a-bitches
I've seen more than I can recall'.
RIP, brother.
@Railey-ls9wv
This song speaks to me so much, it reminds me of how short life is. This song is pure poetry. Whenever I am down I listen to this song, thanks jimmy.
RIP
@maryannproffitt44
Rest in heaven Jimmy fans miss you and love your music💗Prayers for your family, band, and fans🙏🦋🎸🎹🎼🎶Great times and great music🙌👍🏻
@lucidcosmos4454
Nothing remains quite the same 🥲
@Lucromartin07
I love how it just shows the nostalgia of older days
@jamespalma3311
Jimmy's music isn't exactly my "go-to" music, but I love this song. It speaks to me so strongly: See and experience the world around you. Jimmy was a kind, funny, cool dude. I want this world to have more people cut from the same cloth as Jimmy. RIP, Mr. Buffett. You're already missed.