Hear Jimmy Buffett Reimagine Classic Deep Cut ‘Delaney Talks to Statues’

Jimmy Buffett has released a new version of his 1994 song, “Delaney Talks to Statues,” from his upcoming album, Songs You Don’t Know by Heart, out November 27th via Mailboat Records.

The reimagined song, as well as the rest of Songs You Don’t Know by Heart, was borne out of a video series Buffett and his daughter, Delaney, launched during the coronavirus quarantine. On social media, fans had begun chatting about what Buffett deep cuts they’d like to hear the musician revisit, and soon Delaney began filming her father performing acoustic versions of the songs fans were most eager to hear.

While the performances in those videos were bare-bones acoustic renditions, the versions on Songs You Don’t Know by Heart — a nod to Buffett’s 1985 greatest hits comp Songs You Know by Heart — feature some additional instrumentation. Buffett’s acoustic guitar remains at the heart of each track, as the new version of “Delaney Talks to Statutes” illustrates, but there’s some tidy drumming, bass and plenty of sweet harmonies to flesh it out.

“It’s been a large silver lining to spend this time with Delaney revisiting these songs and having the time to recall the inspirations behind them,” Buffett tells Rolling Stone. “We now actually do know the songs we didn’t know by heart, steered by our fans’ love of songs beyond the ‘Big 12.’”

Songs You Don’t Know by Heart was produced by Buffett’s long-time Coral Reefer Band bandmate Mac McAnally. It also features the group’s guitarist Peter Mayer and Eric Darken on percussion.

Songs You Don’t Know by Heart Track List

1. “I Have Found Me A Home”
2. “Woman Goin’ Crazy on Caroline Street”
3. “The Captain and the Kid”
4. “Delaney Talks To Statues”
5. “Twelve Volt Man”
6. “Peanut Butter Conspiracy”
7. “Something So Feminine About A Mandolin”
8. “Love In The Library”
9. “Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants”
10. “The Night I Painted The Sky”
11. “Cowboy In The Jungle”
12. “Little Miss Magic”
13. “Tin Cup Chalice”
14. “Tonight I Just Need My Guitar”
15. “Death Of An Unpopular Poet”