Sometime in late 1978 or early 1979, Pluto Jones was playing at Rum Pointe in Key
Largo in the Florida Keys. We were staying in an apartment over the bar, which was
located right on Florida Bay. So one morning I went out on the pier to play my guitar
and maybe write a song. The sun was shining across the water, and the glistening
bay looked like it had a thousand sparkling eyes. The lyrics came out pretty quickly,
and there it was...Eyes Of The Ocean. As I was finishing the song, these four kids
pulled up in a speedboat. I sang the song for them, and they offered to take me for a
ride and a bit of waterskiing. I had grown up skiing, but hadn't had the opportunity to
ski for five years or more. They must've pulled me around for an hour or so, and I
relished every second as I cruised among the ocean's sparkling eyes with the hot
Florida sun beating down on my back. This version was recorded live by Pluto Jones
one afternoon in June 1980 at the Brass Monkey Lounge in Marathon in the Florida
Keys. I hung two Shure SM-57 microphones from the ceiling and pressed 'record' on
an $80 Sanyo cassette deck. Somehow, I kept track of that old cassette, and I still
have it today. There's also a newer version, recorded in 2008 during the session
celebrating Michael's 50th birthday and Pluto Jones' 30th anniversary.
Eyes Of The Ocean © 2024 - Joey Arata