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Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes (song)

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"Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes"
Single by Jimmy Buffett
from the album Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
B-side"Landfall"
ReleasedAugust 1977
RecordedNovember 1976
Genre
Length3:15
LabelABC Dunhill
Songwriter(s)Jimmy Buffett
Producer(s)Norbert Putnam
Jimmy Buffett singles chronology
"Margaritaville"
(1977)
"Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes"
(1977)
"Cheeseburger in Paradise"
(1978)
Audio sample

"Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" is a song written and recorded by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released as a single (b/w "Landfall") on ABC Dunhill 12305 in August 1977.

Background

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It was first released on his 1977 album Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. It reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 24 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and number 11 on the Easy Listening 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 group in 1961), and then it evolves into the distinctive chorus of this song itself. Billboard 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."[2]

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 did play the original unedited version only once when it debuted at No. 38 on 10/22/77.[3]

Cash Box compared it with "Margaritaville" 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."[4] Record World said that "it's lighthearted and ironic and makes a fine commentary on Buffett's new-found pop stardom."[5]

"Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" was one of Buffett's more popular songs with fans, and was part of "The Big 8" that he played at almost all of his concerts. Recorded live versions of the song appear on You Had to Be There, and the video Live by the Bay.

Chart performance

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Chart (1977) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 37
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 11
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 24
Canadian RPM Top Singles 34
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks 6
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 21

Notes

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  1. ^ Yonke, David (1998). "Jimmy Buffett". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 171-172.
  2. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. September 10, 1977. p. 62. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  3. ^ Casey Kasem's American Top 40 – The 70's from October 22, 1977
  4. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 10, 1977. p. 13. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  5. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 10, 1977. p. 1. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
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