{"id":3700,"date":"2026-09-12T14:50:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T19:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/?p=3700"},"modified":"2026-09-12T14:50:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T19:50:19","slug":"a-kinder-gentler-jamaica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/a-kinder-gentler-jamaica\/","title":{"rendered":"A Kinder, Gentler Jamaica"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spotify&#8217;s &#8220;Release Radar&#8221; alerted me to a new song by Benji Hughes, but when I checked the playlist I was confused to find an old song with rad new artwork and an expanded title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Come to Jamaica\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/50SYJsPhkxRTIkV4aTdobE?si=7e83070f224c43e9&amp;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Jamaica&#8221; appeared on the 2014 album <em>XXOXOXX<\/em>, later retitled <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/2jV8mXmILMQwXFCP2Yqi0W?si=Y7eK1xJkQ3uwl1DrkjDTHQ\"><em>Another Extreme<\/em> <\/a>when re-released to streaming in 2020.<sup data-fn=\"42a6ef94-f050-46eb-ae51-435e0c82b0dd\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#42a6ef94-f050-46eb-ae51-435e0c82b0dd\" id=\"42a6ef94-f050-46eb-ae51-435e0c82b0dd-link\">1<\/a><\/sup> I&#8217;ve always imagined it as a jingle for Jamaican tourism that took a dark turn into a cautionary tale about traveling abroad. This take inspired a chapter in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/books2read.com\/b\/lx\">L Extreme<\/a><\/em> wherein Jessica travels solo to Jamaica via a cruise ship and meets Kenny at a timeshare presentation.<sup data-fn=\"e0d45e6a-b3e6-4287-a40a-a4cb18182d14\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#e0d45e6a-b3e6-4287-a40a-a4cb18182d14\" id=\"e0d45e6a-b3e6-4287-a40a-a4cb18182d14-link\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This 2026 Spotify alert was titled &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/track\/50SYJsPhkxRTIkV4aTdobE?si=7e83070f224c43e9\">Come to Jamaica<\/a>&#8221; and featured a painting in the distinctive Benji Hughes style with a Jamaican flag in the corner. Upon listening it sounded like the same song with a few additional keyboard and backing singer flourishes\u2014until I noticed the &#8220;dark turn&#8221; in the lyrics had course corrected into the promotional travelogue I always imagined as an origin story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Breaking down the changes:<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class='wp-block-tableberg' >\n                <div class='tableberg-table-wrapper' style='overflow:auto'>\n                    <table\n                        class='wp-block-tableberg'\n                        style='border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;'\n                        data-tableberg-sortable='false'\n                        data-tableberg-columns='[]'\n                        data-tableberg-pagination='{\"enabled\":false,\"pageSize\":10,\"showPageNumbers\":true,\"showPrevNext\":true}'\n                        data-tableberg-search-enabled='false'\n                        data-tableberg-search-placeholder=''\n                        data-tableberg-search-position='left'\n                        data-tableberg-search-highlight-color=''\n                        data-tableberg-header='false'\n                        data-tableberg-footer='false'\n                        \n                    >\n                        <tbody>\n                            <tr data-tableberg-row='0'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='0'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                <strong>Jamaica (2014)<\/strong>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='0'\n                data-cell-col='1'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                <strong>Come to Jamaica (2026)<\/strong>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='1'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='2'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black'\n                data-cell-row='1'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                Come come come, come to Jamaica\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='2'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='2'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black'\n                data-cell-row='2'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                When you get some time off work<br>Just a couple of weeks\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='3'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='3'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                Many wild <strong>white<\/strong> people<br>Take a trip to the island <strong>of weed<\/strong>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='3'\n                data-cell-col='1'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                Many wild <strong>wild<\/strong> people<br>Take a trip to the island <strong>with me<\/strong>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='4'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='2'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black'\n                data-cell-row='4'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                Come come come, come to Jamaica,<br>come to Jamaica&#8230;\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='5'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='5'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                &#8230;when you&#8217;re ready to <strong>die<\/strong>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='5'\n                data-cell-col='1'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                &#8230;when you&#8217;re ready to <strong>vibe<\/strong>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='6'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='2'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black'\n                data-cell-row='6'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                Nobody cares about your flip flops<br>Where you leave &#8217;em on the beach\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='7'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='7'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                <strong>But keep your money in your pocket<\/strong>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='7'\n                data-cell-col='1'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                <strong>You can forget about the sunblock<\/strong>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='8'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='2'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black'\n                data-cell-row='8'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                When you&#8217;re walking down the street\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='9'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='9'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                Cause there&#8217;s some really <strong>bad<\/strong> people<br><strong>That you don&#8217;t<\/strong> wanna meet\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='9'\n                data-cell-col='1'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                Cause there&#8217;s some really <strong>rad<\/strong> people<br><strong>You&#8217;re gonna<\/strong> wanna meet\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='10'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='10'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                <strong>Drugs will<\/strong> turn <strong>a man into an<\/strong> animal<br><strong>When he smells fresh meat<\/strong>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='10'\n                data-cell-col='1'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                <strong>The sun can<\/strong> turn <strong>anybody<\/strong> animal<br><strong>Into a lobster real quick&#8230;<\/strong> <em>*<\/em>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='11'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='2'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black'\n                data-cell-row='11'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                Be mindful where you have a good time<br>Or you might never leave\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='12'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='2'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black'\n                data-cell-row='12'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                You&#8217;ll love the ocean breeze<br>Laying in the sun<br>Playing on the beach all day\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='13'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='13'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                <strong>Don&#8217;t drink too much rum<\/strong>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='1'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;width:50%;min-width:50%'\n                data-cell-row='13'\n                data-cell-col='1'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                <strong>Dancing all night long<\/strong>\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr><tr data-tableberg-row='14'><td\n                rowspan='1'\n                colspan='2'\n                \n                style='position:relative;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);vertical-align:middle;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black'\n                data-cell-row='14'\n                data-cell-col='0'\n                \n            >\n                <div\n                class='tableberg-cell-elements'\n                style='display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;flex-wrap:nowrap;gap:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)'\n            >\n                <div\n                    class='tableberg-cell-element'\n                    style='display:flex;justify-content:flex-start;width:100%'\n                >\n                    <p class='tableberg-text-element' style='margin:0;text-align:left;color:#000000;font-size:1.38rem'>\n                Come come come, come to Jamaica\n            <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                \n                \n            <\/td><\/tr>\n                        <\/tbody>\n                    <\/table>\n                <\/div>\n                \n            <\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><sup>WordPress won&#8217;t let me do footnotes inside of a table, so the * signifies how much I love the pronunciation here to rhyme meet with <em>queek<\/em><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It all flows seamlessly as a remake, turning a bit of a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Diss_track\">diss track<\/a> into the feel good hit of late summer.  I also dig how the new lyrics call back to other songs from the Benji Hughes catalog such as &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/track\/74fRbQnBHmQ6Mb2UejHjjB?si=b77b73a8068e4464\">The Beach<\/a>&#8221; or &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/track\/1is20mnIEvUmxNd8jeJbTB?si=3c43942e6a9a4b06\">Go Dancin&#8217;<\/a>&#8221; or &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/track\/18TcmfwaSISuxlg9j7hX9x?si=139b3013af6a436d\">Girls Love Shoes<\/a>&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps Sam Beckett<sup data-fn=\"a0574952-48b3-4778-8376-1c690624fc22\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#a0574952-48b3-4778-8376-1c690624fc22\" id=\"a0574952-48b3-4778-8376-1c690624fc22-link\">3<\/a><\/sup> <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/lx-chapter-commentary-6-cornfields\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2194\">once again leaped into Benji<\/a> to set this right, thus making Kenny&#8217;s Jamaican trip not so ill-fated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can read a standalone version of the &#8220;Jamaica&#8221; chapter from <em>L Extreme<\/em> \/ <em>The Ballad of Heartman &amp; Songstress<\/em> for <strong><em>free<\/em><\/strong> here: <a href=\"https:\/\/read.bookfunnel.com\/read\/5rr6o4dpl7\">Jamaica b\/w Kenny<\/a>. (Weirdly might be the most normal thing I&#8217;ve ever written, buried in the middle of my wildest novel.)<sup data-fn=\"0e5959e1-75e9-4e52-b474-537802a9b3b5\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#0e5959e1-75e9-4e52-b474-537802a9b3b5\" id=\"0e5959e1-75e9-4e52-b474-537802a9b3b5-link\">4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>FOOTNOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-footnotes\"><li id=\"42a6ef94-f050-46eb-ae51-435e0c82b0dd\">It was originally included on the <em>Appetizer<\/em> EP, featuring a mix of songs previewing his 3 simultaneously released 2014 albums <a href=\"#42a6ef94-f050-46eb-ae51-435e0c82b0dd-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 1\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"e0d45e6a-b3e6-4287-a40a-a4cb18182d14\">This story is also available in the <strong>free<\/strong> novella version of Side B: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/books2read.com\/b\/hands\">The Ballad of Heartman &amp; Songstress<\/a><\/em> <a href=\"#e0d45e6a-b3e6-4287-a40a-a4cb18182d14-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 2\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"a0574952-48b3-4778-8376-1c690624fc22\">Or Ben Song <a href=\"#a0574952-48b3-4778-8376-1c690624fc22-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 3\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"0e5959e1-75e9-4e52-b474-537802a9b3b5\">You can also check out author&#8217;s commentary from the Kenny\/Jamaica chapter\u2014obviously with some spoilers\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/lx-commentary-21-kenny\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2478\">over here<\/a>. <a href=\"#0e5959e1-75e9-4e52-b474-537802a9b3b5-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 4\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spotify&#8217;s &#8220;Release Radar&#8221; alerted me to a new song by Benji Hughes, but when I checked the playlist I was confused to find an old song with rad new artwork and an expanded title. &#8220;Jamaica&#8221; appeared on the 2014 album XXOXOXX, later retitled Another Extreme when re-released to streaming in 2020. I&#8217;ve always imagined it&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"It was originally included on the <em>Appetizer<\/em> EP, featuring a mix of songs previewing his 3 simultaneously released 2014 albums\",\"id\":\"42a6ef94-f050-46eb-ae51-435e0c82b0dd\"},{\"content\":\"This story is also available in the <strong>free<\/strong> novella version of Side B: <em><a href=\\\"https:\/\/books2read.com\/b\/hands\\\">The Ballad of Heartman &amp; Songstress<\/a><\/em>\",\"id\":\"e0d45e6a-b3e6-4287-a40a-a4cb18182d14\"},{\"content\":\"Or Ben Song\",\"id\":\"a0574952-48b3-4778-8376-1c690624fc22\"},{\"content\":\"You can also check out author's commentary from the Kenny\/Jamaica chapter\u2014obviously with some spoilers\u2014<a href=\\\"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/lx-commentary-21-kenny\/\\\" data-type=\\\"post\\\" data-id=\\\"2478\\\">over here<\/a>.\",\"id\":\"0e5959e1-75e9-4e52-b474-537802a9b3b5\"}]","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16],"tags":[37],"class_list":["post-3700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music","tag-benji-hughes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3pfx3-XG","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2227,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/lx-commentary-8-where-do-old-lovers-go\/","url_meta":{"origin":3700,"position":0},"title":"LX Commentary #8: Where Do Old Lovers Go?","author":"LBDG","date":"July 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The song may be about going away, but ironically it helped pull the musical concept of the book together. It was also one of my favorite chapters to write. The lyrical breadcrumbs showed me connections to other Benji Hughes songs so clearly it made me start seeking them elsewhere. Benji\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Behind the Scenes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Behind the Scenes","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/category\/behind-the-scenes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/SpacelandSetlist-149x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":948,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/i-went-with-some-friends-to-see-benji-hughes\/","url_meta":{"origin":3700,"position":1},"title":"I Went With Some Friends to See Benji Hughes&#8230;","author":"LBDG","date":"July 10, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"...it was the greatest show I ever saw. I've been dying to see Benji Hughes live since discovering him back in October via an article in The Believer magazine that sat unread on our coffee table for several weeks. By the time I got around to reading it and listening\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2083,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/new-novel-l-extreme\/","url_meta":{"origin":3700,"position":2},"title":"New Novel: L Extreme","author":"LBDG","date":"April 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been awhile but we're back with style... Announcing the new novel by JL Civi: L Extreme! Readers of this blog know I've been a huge fan of Benji Hughes for years. Somewhere along the line I decided to write a novel based on his album\u00a0A Love Extreme. For a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"L Extreme Book Cover","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/LX-Space-Painting-Cover-FINAL-188x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2478,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/lx-commentary-21-kenny\/","url_meta":{"origin":3700,"position":3},"title":"LX Commentary #21: Kenny","author":"LBDG","date":"November 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Bonus track time!Or said differently, I cheated again...First I swapped the order of Mmmmmmm & Even If. Here I'm including a song that isn't actually on A Love Extreme. Why? It's complicated.In the first draft this flashback to Jessica meeting Kenny in Jamaica was the second half of \"Where Do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Behind the Scenes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Behind the Scenes","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/category\/behind-the-scenes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Kenny-Single-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2123,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/lx-chapter-commentary-3-you-stood-me-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":3700,"position":4},"title":"LX Chapter Commentary #3: You Stood Me Up","author":"LBDG","date":"May 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A dream, a frame story, and a flashback walk into a novel based on lyrics from a double album by Benji Hughes\u00a0who also stars as the protagonist.Kidding aside, the thrill of working on L Extreme was the kitchen-sink zaniness of the structure. As I began to identify the throughline of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Behind the Scenes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Behind the Scenes","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/category\/behind-the-scenes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Unknown.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3429,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/additions-to-the-lx-hughesniverse\/","url_meta":{"origin":3700,"position":5},"title":"Additions to the LX Hughesniverse","author":"LBDG","date":"February 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"L Extreme is billed as a novelization of the album A Love Extreme by Benji Hughes, though it actually pulls from his entire catalog through early 2021. January 31, 2025 marked the release of three new Benji Hughes jams via the soundtrack to the film Home Free. Since I spent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Behind the Scenes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Behind the Scenes","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/category\/behind-the-scenes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-10.35.15-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-10.35.15-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-10.35.15-PM.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3700"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3708,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3700\/revisions\/3708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}