As summer 2025 is beginning and backyard barbeques and pool parties are starting up, a feel-good summer music playlist is essential. No matter what artists frequent your summer vibes playlists, an undeniable crowd pleaser is the great Jimmy Buffett. With almost 50 albums, his music discography is the epitome of good summer jams.

If you are looking for new beach-y songs to add to your summer 2025 playlist, look no further than these Jimmy Buffett suggestions. He has plenty of variety to choose from, whether you're looking for something more upbeat or something that feels like swinging back and forth in a hammock. Get yourself a glass of your favorite summer drink and prepare to dive in.

8 Fins

Volcano

If you have already played Chappell Roan's "HOT TO GO!" and the Village People's "YMCA" and are itching for another song with simple choreography to dance along to, look no further than "Fins." This upbeat and rock-inspired summer song is perfect for the start of any get-together when the energy is high.

All you need to do is hold your palms pressed together above your head and move them from the left to the right as the lyrics instruct. The phrase "fins up" is a calling card for Jimmy Buffett fans. It is a cautionary tale at heart, to watch out for the "sharks that can swim on the land," but it is also so much fun to dance to. This song has great energy and is the perfect hype song to get any party started.

7 I Will Play For Gumbo

Beach House on the Moon

Sometimes, the best songs are the ones with the silliest lyrics. While an initial listen might focus on the catchy tune and the fun lyrics, another will reveal how this song is truly a love letter to New Orleans and the foods that it mentions by name. Even though the doughy and sugary beignets are too rich for Jimmy Buffett, he exclaims that he would gladly take some French bread to go with a delicious bowl of gumbo.

This song is truly a love letter to New Orleans and the foods that it mentions by name.

Not only is this song the perfect upbeat tempo for the start of any party, but it will also fit perfectly at any outdoor grilling adventure. The lyrics might even make your guests hungry, so make sure that any burgers, veggies, or anything you've been cooking up is ready to go before the song is over.

6 Son Of A Son Of A Sailor

Son of a Son of a Sailor

No boat is required for this nautical tune. Jimmy Buffett's magical storytelling will transport you to the helm of your own ship as this song plays. The ringing bells, steel drums, and the harmonica break bring you out of whatever thoughts may be ailing you. This song is the lead in to a great adventure, even though you might still be standing in your backyard.

This is the perfect getaway song, making you believe that you really are the descendant of a great sea-fearing traveler. Whether you are standing on a boat or singing along in your kitchen, this song needs to be on your summer escape playlist. It's perfect for when you need to take a chill break.

5 Like My Dog

Equal Strain on All Parts

This song is a cute, cheeky tune that takes the love of one's pet and celebrates it in a humorous light. Though it's a cover of a BIlly Currington song, Jimmy Buffett updated and changed the lyrics to reference his Cavalier King Charles spaniel girls. He also takes a more island spin on the song, adding more percussion and his signature steel drums to the instrumentals. He transforms it from a classic country song into a Jimmy Buffett masterpiece.

Every animal lover has had that moment of looking into their pet's eyes and feeling all the love that they have to give. This song is a humorous conversation talking to a partner, saying that they should love Buffett like his dog does: unconditionally and judgment-free. This song can be a good break and provide a good lighthearted laugh, while also providing a spotlight on any and all animals present at the party.

4 Cheeseburger In Paradise

Son of a Son of a Sailor

With summer weather comes classic summer food. Just listening to this song can make anyone hungry, whether you're craving a cheeseburger just like Jimmy Buffett or a vegan treat. This song will make anyone start to ask "What's for dinner?" Each chorus and bridge adds more and more things to this cheeseburger, piling it high and adding to the absurdity of the lyrics.

Though this song is silly and fun and the lyrics don't need to make sense, it all does. For someone who hasn't heard it before, they might have to stop and ask someone else if he really did just say "cheeseburger." By the end of this song, you will also wish to be whatever favorite food you're craving in whatever you envision your paradise to be.

3 It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

Alan Jackson's Greatest Hits Volume II

Though this song isn't even on a Jimmy Buffett album, and he is only featured on the track, it is still an iconic song among his numerous summer hits. "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" references the common saying that it's the end of the work day somewhere in the world, so that means that we are allowed to drink right here and now. The song leans into that feeling of letting go of your worries in order to get into a vacation mindset. This is the perfect song to play on a Friday afternoon while heading home from the office.

The song also leans on its comedic beats, making it a fun listen. Alan Jackson ponders what Jimmy Buffett would do, and Jimmy Buffett responds in the last half of the song. The two even have a full conversation at the end, with Alan Jackson confirming that he has been to the famous Margaritaville, even though he "stumbled on the way home." Whether you are ing the two iconic singers in a hurricane or you are reaching for a virgin cocktail, this song is perfect to get you in a vacation mindset.

2 Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes

Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes

The title track from this 1977 album is a more melancholic summer tune. Some of the best memories are made in the summer, and this song is all about feeling those things all over again. When you want to go back in time and look at old photos, this song is perfect to put on. Summer 2025 is about making new memories and creating new friendships, and this song embodies that feeling even all these years later.

Though summer can't last forever, the memories will.

When the vibe has shifted to a cooler and calmer feel, that is the perfect time to put this song on your speakers. Sit down by the fire pit as the sun starts to go down and reflect on the day behind you. This track is a calm and melodic reminder of all the places that we have been and all the things that we have felt in our past summers. Though summer can't last forever, the memories will.

1 Margaritaville

Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes

From the very first opening notes and the melodic steel drum that has since become iconic, the song "Margaritaville" sounds exactly like summer. It sounds like catching waves, sun tanning, and letting go of the worries of everyday life. This is a vacation anthem, focusing on the things that we only get to do while we are at our most relaxed. We don't know where the salt shaker went or whose fault it was, but that doesn't really matter. It only matters how this song makes us feel, and how it has always ushered in the feeling of summer.

Though "Margaritaville" is perhaps the most iconic track of the already iconic Jimmy Buffett, every song and album he put out gave us that calm island feel that we crave whenever summer comes around again. These songs will make great additions to your summer 2025 playlist, creating moments of community as everyone sings along.