In 2003, Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett bottled up summertime and turned it into a song with “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.” Twenty-two years later, the booze-soaked country anthem still sounds like drifting aimlessly down a lazy river while sipping a margarita. On this day in 2003, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” hit the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
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Alan Jackson, Jimmy Buffett Hit Career Milestones With This Song
Written by Jim “Moose” Brown and Don Rollins, Alan Jackson released the Jimmy Buffett duet as the lead single off his 2003 compilation, Greatest Hits Volume II. In addition to topping the country charts, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” climbed to No. 17 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart. This marked a career first for Jackson.
Additionally, the song also marked Buffett’s first top 40 song since “Fins” peaked at No. 35 in 1979. What’s more, Buffett scored his first-ever country chart-topper with the island-inspired tune.
In November 2003, the pair picked up a CMA Award for Vocal Event of the Year. Somehow, this was the first award win of Buffett’s storied career. “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” picked up the same trophy at the ACM Awards, along with Song of the Year. It also took home that year’s Grammy for Best Country Song.
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It Started With Just One Line
Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett gave country music listeners everywhere permission to crack open a lunchtime cold one with “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.”
The iconic party anthem began with just the title, “with no concept of how it would work musically,” songwriter Don Rollins said in an interview with American Songwriter. Co-writer Jim “Moose” Brown mentioned to Rollins that country artist Colt Prather was looking for a song “with a Buffett vibe.” They agreed that the title “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” was a perfect fit. Then, they wrote the track in two hours.
Prather ended up passing on the song—along with other country stars, such as Kenny Chesney.
“I think they wanted to not do so much beachy stuff anymore,” Brown stated in a 2010 interview. “If we had gotten it to him three years earlier, he probably would have jumped on it, but the timing wasn’t right.”
With so many passing on the track and its specific sound, Rollins admitted he didn’t expect Jackson to pick up the song.
“I remember thinking that Alan was way too country for that song,” he said. “Then the duet with Buffett was mentioned and it started to make sense.”
Featured image by R. Diamond/WireImage
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