Pencil Thin Mustache
| "Pencil Thin Mustache[1]" | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| Single by Jimmy Buffett | |||||||
| from the album Living & Dying in ¾ Time | |||||||
| A-side | "Pencil Thin Moustache" | ||||||
| B-side | "Brand New Country Star" | ||||||
| Released | August 1974 | ||||||
| Format | 7" | ||||||
| Recorded | October 1973 at Woodland Sound Studio in Nashville, Tennessee | ||||||
| Genre | Rock/Gulf and western | ||||||
| Length | 02:47 | ||||||
| Label |
ABC Dunhill AB-12305 (U.S., 7") | ||||||
| Writer(s) | Jimmy Buffett | ||||||
| Producer(s) | Don Gant | ||||||
| Jimmy Buffett singles chronology | |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
"Pencil Thin Mustache," originally released as "Pencil Thin Moustache,"[1] is a song written and performed by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released as a single (b/w "Brand New Country Star") on Dunhill D-15011 in August 1974.
It was first released on his 1974 album Living & Dying in ¾ Time. It "bubbled under" the Billboard Hot 100 at #101 and reached #44 on the Easy Listening chart.
The song narrative is a nostalgic look by Buffett back at the popular culture of his childhood. The title refers to the type of mustache worn by a movie character, Boston Blackie. Buffett refers to a number of other persons, characters, and products of the period including Ricky Ricardo, Andy Devine, Sky (King)'s niece Penny, (American) Bandstand, Disneyland, Ramar of the Jungle, Bwana, flat top, dirty bop, Errol Flynn, the Sheik of Araby, and Brylcreem. It also mentioned that, in those days, only jazz musicians smoked marijuana.
Buffett states that, "the thing about writing a song like this is that the older you get, the more people there are who need an explanation of the characters in the song. I shudder to think how old Sky King's niece Penny is today. It all started with that two-toned Ricky Ricardo jacket. I can't wait for them to come back."[3]
"Pencil Thin Mustache" is a popular song with Buffett fans and is often played at concerts but is not part of "The Big 8" that he has played at almost all of his concerts. Recorded live versions of the song appear on You Had to Be There and Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays.
Chart performance
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 44 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 75 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 22 |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The song title originally used the British spelling moustache, but subsequent releases have used the usual U.S. spelling mustache.
- ↑ "45 RPM records—late 1960s to 1978". Retrieved Sep 25, 2009.
- ↑ "Pencil Thin Mustache lyrics". BuffettWorld.com. Retrieved Sep 25, 2009.
External links
- Lyrics at BuffettWorld.com
- Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics