After remembering the Jimmy Buffett song "Margaritaville" and having that playing over and over in my head, recently, that led me to recall another Buffett song, "Cheeseburger in Paradise" (1978).
I can't remember where I heard "Cheeseburger in Paradise" first -- sometime during school -- someone had the album -- partly I thought it was a heck of a good song, and yet at the same time felt sort of an undertow of doubt because it was -- a -- song -- about -- a cheeseburger. (I mean, what??) Typical, perhaps, for the age group I was in, I was maybe a bit earnest about my music.
(Shouldn't it have a little more serious meaning to it? Wasn't the subject matter a little -- light? Somewhat frivolous?)
Maybe the at times plaintive, noble, and justice-seeking lyrics of some of Bob Dylan's early work was making me a little humorless, for the moment, in my music thoughts. I was busy being "intense." (Bob would not have wanted that; he would say there's always a place for lightness and fun, in art -- "when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, Ev'rybody's gonna jump for joy...")
YES!
There can be a song about a cheeseburger, and it can be a hell-uva song!
"CB in Paradise" begs for a dance routine to be worked out, to it --
Heaven on earth with an onion slice
Not too particular, not too precise
Just a cheeseburger in paradise
Something in film or music or painting etc. is not "better" if it's serious, or "better" if it's light and funny; I didn't know this, back when I first heard the song, but am certain of it now.
-------------------
Henry Kissinger
has a new book out called World Order -- about how different countries can get along and be positive (though he probably would not describe it this way).
This is important.
And toward the end of "Cheeseburger in Paradise" where the song evolves into a shouting "stomp" --
"I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and French-fried potatoes"
a dance needs to go with it.
This is important, too.
-30-
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