Pencil Thin Mustache

"Pencil Thin Mustache[1]"

Cover of the German 7 " single[2]
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 (US, 7")
Writer(s) Jimmy Buffett
Producer(s) Don Gant
Jimmy Buffett singles chronology
"Come Monday"
(1974)
"Pencil Thin Moustache"
(1974)
"A Pirate Looks at Forty"
(1974)
Audio sample
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"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 the film 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 "only jazz musicians were smokin' marijuana".[3]

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."[4]

"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. 1 2 The song title originally used the British spelling moustache, but subsequent releases have used the usual U.S. spelling mustache.
  2. "45 RPM records—late 1960s to 1978". Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  3. http://www.songlyrics.com/jimmy-buffett/pencil-thin-mustache-lyrics/
  4. "Pencil Thin Mustache lyrics". BuffettWorld.com. Retrieved September 25, 2009.

External links

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