When Jimmy Buffett passed away in September 2023 from a rare form of cancer, he left behind one last gift of song for his dedicated fans, “Bubbles Up.” In typical Buffett fashion, “Bubbles Up” is a hopeful tune that encourages the listener to keep looking for the light. So, when the journey gets long / Just know that you are loved / There is light up above / And the joy is always enough / Bubbles up, he sings sweetly in the chorus.
“Bubbles Up” is featured on Buffett’s posthumous album, Equal Strain On All Parts, which will be released on November 3. “It’s hard to imagine a world without Jimmy Buffett,” co-writer Will Kimbrough said onstage at the 2023 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame gala where he honored Buffett with a performance of the song they wrote together, “But here we are.” Below, hear Kimbrough’s heartfelt perspective on being tasked with writing one of the last songs Buffett recorded.
Videos by American Songwriter
The Story Behind “Bubbles Up”
“Jimmy reached out to me over Christmas in 2019 and again in 2022 with a message, ‘Are you ready for some homework?’ And I said ‘Yeah.’ But what I didn’t know at first was that Jimmy was trusting me with some of his last song ideas of his joyful life. Jimmy made a living and built an empire making people happy, and he wasn’t afraid of being happy. He was not ashamed of being happy, he was perfectly willing to share it with everybody. He’s trusted me with his ideas late in his life and when he gave me this idea, I thought it was an unusual one for him because we haven’t wrote anything serious. He would say, ‘Parrotheads don’t want to hear that!’ and throw it out the window. But I worked with Songwriting With Soldiers and a great songwriter from Austin, Darden Smith, trained me this way. He said, ‘Finish the song, use their words, and don’t F it up.’ And I used that this time with Jimmy because he gave me this idea for a song that really is a beautiful idea…We miss you Jimmy Buffett, thank you so much for the songs and the stories.”
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
More Features
-
American singer, songwriter and musician Gram Parsons (1946 – 1973), circa 1969. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images) -
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – Jo Dee Messina performs during the 2026 CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium on June 05, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic) -
Picture taken in 1974 in Stockholm shows the Swedish pop group Abba with its members (L-R) Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus posing after winning the Swedish branch of the Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo". – Sweden's legendary disco group ABBA announced on April 27, 2018 that they have reunited to record two new songs, 35 years after their last single. The quartet split up in 1982 after dominating the disco scene for more than a decade with hits like "Waterloo", "Dancing Queen", "Mamma Mia" and "Super Trouper". (Photo by Olle LINDEBORG / TT News Agency / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo credit should read OLLE LINDEBORG/AFP via Getty Images) -
IN CONCERT – Airdate: March 1, 1974. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) LINDA RONSTADT -
HOLLYWOOD, CA – 1979: Teens dance to the music at the 1979 Hollywood High School prom held in Hollywood, California. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) -
British musician Christine McVie, of the group Fleetwood Mac, performs onstage at the Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, Wisconsin, July 19, 1978. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
Singer Patsy Cline poses for a portrait circa 1961. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
