Last Mango in Paris is the fourteenth studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released in June 1985 as MCA 5600 and was produced by Buffett and noted country music producer Tony Brown. The album represented continuation of Buffett's shift toward a more country sound begun with 1984's Riddles in the Sand. The title of the album is a play on the title of the 1972 movie Last Tango in Paris.
Songs
The album contains no song written solely by Buffett; he co-wrote most of the songs with Will Jennings, Marshall Chapman, and/or Michael Utley. He recorded one song, "Frank and Lola," which he had written with Steve Goodman who died in 1984. Buffett dedicated the album to Goodman and this would be the last Goodman song Buffett would record as of 2007[update]. "Desperation Samba (Halloween in Tijuana)" features the sound of a whip cracking performed by actor Harrison Ford, a reminder of Ford's use of the whip in the Indiana Jones movies. Buffett recorded a live version the song for his 2003 greatest hits collection Meet Me in Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection, along with the title song and concert staple "Jolly Mon Sing". The song "Last Mango in Paris" was written about Captain Tony Tarracino, a well-known Key West, Florida saloon keeper, and live versions of the song appear on Live by the Bay and Feeding Frenzy. The song also features a coda that is a callback to "La Vie Dansante" from Buffett's previous album, Riddles in the Sand. Singer Glenn Frey makes a vocal cameo at the end of the song he co-wrote with Buffett, "Gypsies in the Palace". This song also appears on the album "Live at Fenway Park".
Reviewer Johnny Loftus of Allmusic argues that, "Last Mango in Paris' host of high points make it essential for anyone enamored of Buffett's live shows, or even the casual fan looking to expand beyond Songs You Know by Heart."[2] Although none of the album's songs are part of "The Big 8" that Buffett has played at almost all of his concerts, "Last Mango in Paris," "Gypsies in the Palace," "Desperation Samba" and "Jolly Mon Sing" were played at many concerts in the 1980s and 1990s and most are featured on the Live by the Bay concert video and the Feeding Frenzy live album. A live version of "Desperation Samba" appears on the 2003 compilation Meet Me in Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection, along with the studio versions of "Jolly Mon Sing" and the title track.
