"Grapefruit—Juicy Fruit" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was first released on his 1973 album A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean and was his third single from that album. The single reached No. 23 on the BillboardEasy Listening chart in September 1973.[1]
The song appears on Songs You Know By Heart, a greatest hits compilation that includes Buffett's concert favorites ranging from 1973 to 1979. It was often played live, but was not considered a concert staple.[2]
History
Buffett wrote the song in Key West, Florida at a time when he would play in a bar called Howie's Lounge in the afternoon and work on a fishing boat at night. He would meet young tourist girls riding the Conch Tour Train and take them to the Islander drive-in theater. They would have some purple passion mixed up in a jug, and if mixed correctly the dates would claim they couldn't taste any alcohol, to which Buffett would reply, "That's the point."[3]
On the live album You Had to Be There, Buffett mentions that one of the movies he took a date to see was Payday.
In "The Parrot Head Handbook," which accompanies the box set Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads, Buffett says of the origin of the song: "The place was the Islander Drive-In theatre, and the movie was Payday starring Rip Torn. The girl was from St. Petersburg, Florida, and she was running away from a bad boyfriend. The popcorn was salty, and the beer was cold."
