Buffett told the story behind this song: "I was in a bar up near Daytona Beach and saw a group of guys crowded around some girls who were obviously in town for a beauty contest of some sort. I sat back and listened to their conversation and took notes. For a moment I pictured that these guys had fins coming out of their backs as they hit on the girls. It was a pure feeding frenzy, and I scribbled down pieces of their conversation and wrote the song. Now it seems the 'land shark' population has increased tremendously."
This song has its own dance - sort of. When Buffett played it, audience members put their hands together above their heads (same as the "A" in the Village People's "YMCA" dance) and moved their "fins to the left" and "fins to the right." Many audience members had enjoyed some island cocktails by this point.
On "Fins," Buffett shares songwriting credit with his Coral Reefer band members Deborah McColl and Barry Chance, along with Florida-based mystery novelist Tom Corcoran. Back in the '70s, Corcoran worked as a bartender at The Chart Room, a hotspot for Buffett when he first came to Key West, and the pair became fast friends. Corcoran also co-wrote Buffett's tune "Cuban Crime of Passion."
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