God's Own Drunk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "God's Own Drunk" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Jimmy Buffett | |
| A-side | "God's Own Drunk" |
| Released | September 16, 2011 |
| Recorded | July 23, 2011 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 10:10 |
| Label | Mailboat Records |
| Songwriter | Lord Buckley |
"God's Own Drunk" is a monologue by Lord Buckley that musicians have since adapted into different types of songs; most notably, Jimmy Buffett, who first recorded his rendition for Living and Dying in ¾ Time and has since released a digital download single of a live performance in 2011. Buffett's version was a concert staple[1] and even regarded as his theme before "Margaritaville"'s popularity,[2] until he was forced to stop playing it after being sued by Buckley's son, Dick Buckley Jr., for copyright infringement.[3]
Buckley's monologue tells a story in the first-person of a teetotaler who finds himself taking care of his brother-in-law's still, eventually giving in to his temptation and drinking its whiskey. In the midst of his bender, he crosses paths with a bear, who, from the narrator's drunken perspective, is a male Kodiak about 16 feet tall. The narrator's fearlessness interests the bear, and out of mutual curiosity, the narrator gives the bear some whiskey and names him "Buddy". The two drink the night away, and the narrator awakens to find that both Buddy and the still are gone, implying that the bear liked the whiskey so much that he stole the still.
Buffett's cover
Although Buffett did not officially record his rendition until 1974, he had been performing it since 1966 after two friends played him Buckley's 1959 Hollywood recording of Lord Buckley in Concert.[4][5] Buffett and his friends were living in New Orleans at the time and were playing at a bar where the performers were required to do a rendition of Buckley's "God's Own Drunk".[6] Buffett's version has only slight variations as in the bear is about 19 feet (Buffett) not 16 feet (Buckley) tall.
Lawsuit
In the Names and Faces section in newspapers all over the country on August 30, 1983, the following story ran:
Singer Jimmy Buffett, known for hits like "Margaritaville" and "Havana Daydreaming," has been named in an $11-million suit alleging that one of his songs was taken from a dramatic monologue by the late Richard (Lord) Buckley, an entertainer during the 1930s and 1950s. Buckley's son, Dick Buckley Jr., charged in a suit filed last Thursday in US District Court in Los Angeles that Buffett infringed on his father's copyright. Buckley charged that Buffett took parts of his father's monologue from A Tribute to Buckley and claimed it as his work in "God's Own Drunk."
Although Buffett had credited Buckley as the author of "God's Own Drunk", Buckley Jr.'s complaint stated that Buffett did not have authorization to record the song and objected to Buffett's insertion of profanity and "immorality" in the monologue, which created the impression that Lord Buckley had performed the monologue the same way.[7]
The Lawyer and the Asshole
Though few details of the lawsuit are known, it inspired a song titled "The Lawyer and the Asshole". Because "God's Own Drunk" was a concert staple before the lawsuit, the song's sudden absence from the setlist was a disappointment to fans, so Buffett played "The Lawyer and the Asshole" instead, to explain why he couldn't and wouldn't perform "God's Own Drunk".[8]