Song · Jimmy Buffett
“Volcano” by Jimmy Buffett
From the album Volcano (1979)
“Volcano” by Jimmy Buffett appears on 5 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 1997 and 2024. It was first released in 1979 on the album Volcano. Its best result is #256 on the WMGK Philly 500 (2024). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,867 classic rock song of all time.
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Jimmy Buffett went to Montserrat in the British West Indies in May 1979 to cut the Volcano album at AIR Studios, and the title song is named for Soufrière Hills, the then-sleeping volcano on the island. He got the idea soaking in a hot spring at its foot. Written with Keith Sykes and Harry Dailey and produced by Norbert Putnam, it's a sunny calypso and reggae shuffle about a guy fretting over where on earth he'll end up once the mountain blows.
MCA put it out as a single in November 1979, backed with "Stranded on a Sandbar", and it reached number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 43 on the adult contemporary chart. History got dark later: Hurricane Hugo wrecked the studio in 1989, and the volcano itself erupted in 1995.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 752 | 102.3 WBAB | WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) | 1023 |
| 2009 | 542 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) | 885 |
| 2012 | 863 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) | 1200 |
| 2014 | 522 | Big 100 | BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2024 | 256 | WMGK | WMGK Philly 500 (2024) | 500 |
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