The song “Margaritaville“came out in 1977. That was the year I graduated from high school – hearing it takes me back in time. No matter what your age, I bet Jimmy Buffet’s ode to beach life makes you feel a little more laid back. That feeling is the inspiration behind Margaritaville, Buffet’s Orlando-based global lifeystyle brand.
As I said, I graduated high school in 1977. Songs from that year include many awesome titles, and a few clunkers (“You Light Up My Life,“ by Debby Boone, comes to mind). The song “Margaritaville” is unique. It embodies a feeling and attitude we all crave at one point or another. In case you want to know exactly where Margaritaville is located, it’s described on the website as: “…in the tropics somewhere…ocean breezes bring the seaplanes and sailboats…Passports are not required, island music rules. No waiting lines for anything.”
Margaritaville is a “State of Mind” which has been built into a brand and expanded into a highly successful empire. It encompasses restaurants, hotels, resorts, casinos, apparel, and even a musical.
My favorite is probably a budding chain of island-inspired retirement homes. Imagine a bunch of “55-and-betters,” wearing flip flops and “nibblin’ on sponge cake,” slightly arthritic fingers poised over booze-filled blenders.
To quote Liz Lemon (30 Rock): “I want to go to there.”
The Margaritaville brand is unique, and would be impossible to copy. When we hear Jimmy Buffet songs, it makes us want to experience paradise. The myriad of Margaritaville brand offerings transport us there, for a price people are happy to pay.
For those reasons, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville is an Uncopyable Rock Star. I’m personally thrilled to raise my icy, salt-rimmed glass in salute.
