We were not a big fan of Jimmy Buffett. His music is too laid-back and beachy for our tastes. But, he obviously had a hell of a career, and anybody who got mentored by Jim Croce and Jerry Jeff Walker had a lot going for him. And, Jimmy Buffett wrote a song called Math Suks.
We had never heard, or even heard of, Math Suks before Buffett died, a few days ago. It’s not a great song but it is pleasantly irreverent and has a catchy chant-chorus. Enough so to have caused a minor stir when the song was released, in 1999. Any song that earns a public rebuke from the humourless gits at NCTM has a large upside:
It’s a very, very negative song. It ends with 13 ‘math suks’ in a row.
Below is a really great live version of Math Suks, which also suggests that Buffett might have been much better as a live performer, backed by his Coral Reefer Band. The lyrics to the song are here, and the later, studio version is here. Enjoy.