"Fins" is a song recorded by American popular music singer-songwriter

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

. It was written by Buffett,

Coral Reefer Band The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett (until Buffett's death in September 2023). The band's name alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and "reefe ...

members Deborah McColl and Barry Chance, and author Tom Corcoran. It was released as a single (b/w "Dreamsicle") on MCA 41109 in July 1979. It was first released on his 1979 album ''

Volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

''. It reached number 35 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 42 on the

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

chart. The title refers to the

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...

s of metaphorical sharks, i.e. "land sharks", men who attempt to pick up the woman who is the subject of the song. She is said to feel like a

remora The remora (), sometimes called suckerfish or sharksucker, is any of a family (Echeneidae) of ray-finned fish in the order Carangiformes. Depending on species, they grow to long. Their distinctive first dorsal fins take the form of a modified ...

due to the proximity of the predators. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that "swinging southern pop-rock, served up Florida style, compliments the neat double entendre." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that Buffett’s "inspired vocals and a lively beat give this broad appeal.." "Fins" was one of Buffett's more popular songs with fans, and is part of " The Big 8" that he had played at almost all of his concerts. Recorded live versions of the song appear on ''

Feeding Frenzy In ecology, a feeding frenzy is a type of animal group activity that occurs when predators are overwhelmed by the amount of prey available. The term is also used as an idiom in the English language. Examples in nature For example, a large schoo ...

'', '' Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays'', and the video '' Live by the Bay''. Buffett usually began the song with a few bars of the "

Main Title The main title is the music, often later recorded on soundtrack albums, that is heard in a film while the opening credits are rolling. It does not refer to music playing from on-screen sources such as radios, as in the original opening credits seq ...

" theme from the movie '' Jaws''. Concertgoers typically responded to the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

line of "fins to the left, fins to the right" by extending their arms above their heads in a fin shape and moving them from left to right. Fin and shark themes became a prominent part of parrothead (Buffett fan) clothing and gear and feature in several of Buffett's commercial ventures such as

Land Shark Lager Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in othe ...

beer. In 2009, Buffett wrote new lyrics to the song for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

football team. The song is played during home games at

Hard Rock Stadium Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Southeastern United States, located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes, the Univers ...

, and is used in tandem with the Dolphins'

fight song A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand, these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...

after every touchdown the team scores.

Personnel

-Jimmy Buffett - Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar -Deborah McColl - Backing Vocals -Keith Sykes - Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals -Barry Chance - Lead Guitar -Harry Dailey - Bass -Mike Utley - Piano -Andy McMahan - Fender Rhodes -Greg “Fingers” Taylor - Electric “Medium Walter” Harp -Russell Kunkel - Drums and Percussion -Johnny Montezuma - Anything and Everything -Jackie Dangler - Pans -Steve Forman - Percussion

Chart performance

References

External links

Lyrics
at BuffettWorld.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Fins (Song) 1979 songs Jimmy Buffett songs Songs written by Jimmy Buffett Miami Dolphins MCA Records singles